Digimon: New Heroes The Progeny
by Julesville
Summary: NEW CHAPTERS 9&10 It's back baby! It's a tricky situation when you can't leave your house for fear of oblivion, and it's now up to noname rookies to save everyone, but will the revalation of the goingson help or make matters worse.
1. Endangered Species

Digimon: New Heroes - The Progeny  
By Fumo the Damned Smoker  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, don't be angry at me, it's all good  
Rating: PG-13 - for Mild Language, Mature Situations, and violence (the good stuff)  
  
Writer's Note: Have fun with this!  
  
Chapter One - Endangered Species  
  
"Come on Sora, just one kiss"  
  
"No Tai, what would Matt say"  
  
Tai laid sweet, delicate kisses on Sora's neck as the two sat on a bench in a shadowy park. This would be an imposing sight against Tai, if it weren't for Sora sitting on his lap. She acted as if she were offend, but the way she accepted his kisses was quite the contrary.  
  
"Tai, this doesn't feel right."  
  
Tai continued kissing her on the nape of her neck, "It feels right to me." he said in-between kisses.  
  
"Tai, no, this is betrayal. I mean, Matt's your best friend."  
  
Tai looked up from Sora's neck, "No he's not." he said frankly.  
  
"Well... that's not the point. We're going behind the back of someone we know, to commit," Sora lowered her voice, "basically adultery."  
  
"It's not adultery, and besides," Tai gave a big smooch on her cheek, "We're both in love, you can't deny love."  
  
Sora smiled, "You're right. Kiss me..." she cooed, passionately kissing him on the lips.  
  
The two fell into each others embraces. The beautiful display of young love, tinged with the rank of treachery and secrecy.  
  
A sound of a twig breaking could be heard from behind some heady bushes, which wouldn't have been so bad, if it weren't that it sounded more like a tree branch ripping off.  
  
Sora leaped off of Tai's lap and on to her feet, searching for the startling sound. Tai slowly lifted himself up, his buzz officially terminated.  
  
A voice spoke softly and calmly out of the expanse of darkness surrounding the two lovebirds. It appeared from nowhere and everywhere, a ghastly voice that was human sounding yet inhuman too. It sounded like the voice of a young girl in her teens, eerie and methodical.  
  
"Traitors." she called.  
  
"What...?" Sora mouthed.  
  
"Traitors... you've gone behind Matt's back."  
  
"Who the hell is this?!" Tai yelled  
  
"You'll have to be punished for your sins." it called  
  
From the shadows, monstrous fire erupted. A large form leaped above their heads, and came down. Sora and Tai leaped to the side, as the figure came crashing threw the bench they were just sitting.  
  
It was a monstrous figure, a massive blaze engulfed it as it pulled itself back to it's feet, with four arms it pointed at Sora ominously.  
  
"Salutations, traitor. My name is Asuramon" it said in a different voice, deep, melodic tongue.  
  
"Tai what's going on?!" Sora yelled for Tai.  
  
"No time for play Asuramon," the eerie girl's voice returned, "Firewall Contingency, now."  
  
Asuramon held in it's hand a small saucer-disc. It sprouted a blue spark as Asuramon turned the top toward Sora. The spark erupted into a flow of blue energy that engulfed the bewildered Sora, until she was encased in an egg of azure light.  
  
"Sora!" Tai yelled as he ran to her.  
  
Asuramon thrust the disc at Tai, and soon he was encased as well.  
  
"What's happening?!" Sora yelled.  
  
"Your mine now." the voice called.  
  
The energy ovals and the two sweethearts began to dissipate, and soon were gone, as they called each other's names.  
  
The voice laughed maniacally.  
  
Asuramon chuckled as well as he walked off into the bushes again, and vanished.  
  
--------  
  
Izzy typed away on one of his many computer projects, diligently, creating and deleting with the brush of his fingertips. Then the computer registered, "You've got mail", which Izzy had set it to only do for priority mail. Checking the e-mail he sited the piece of electronic correspondence.  
  
It looked harmless enough, just a line of info and a pressable icon like all his other e-mails. This one, however, had no name attached, just a underline a few spaces long where a name should be, and a confusing subject that just read the word "Critical"  
  
"Dear Digidestined  
You are all in great danger. Stay inside at night and never go out to a secluded space. I will come to you when I can in Japan, but until then, heed my warning!  
- A Guardian of Both Worlds"  
  
"What is this?" Izzy asked himself, a habit of his. "This is weird, I better find it's source."  
  
Izzy brought up one of his hacker programs, and searched for the origin on the e-mail, it actually came from the Digital world.  
  
"Ah, so I guess I'm dealing with a Digimon after all." he searched with his program a little more, finding a number of interesting facts.  
  
"Ah ha, I'm not the only one to receive this warning!"  
  
He scrolled down a list of forwarding addresses and user names.  
  
"Prodigious, it seems that all of the original Digidestined, like me, Matt and Sora and so on, got this e-mail. Also, the D-3 Digidestined, TK, Davis, and Ken and so on, as well as all the new Digidestined around the world, Willis, Maechel and the Pou brothers, and so on."  
  
Izzy leaned back reflecting on the info he had just collected. All of the world's Digidestined are targets of some new evil, while there is some Digimon protector who is coming to help out. This was quite a weird occurrence, something had to be done.  
  
The ring of the phone brought Izzy out of his thought train.  
  
"I've got it mom," he yelled as he picked up the phone, "Hello?"  
  
"Izzy?" the voice called  
  
"Kari?" Izzy recognized anguish in her voice, "What's wrong?"  
"Izzy, Tai didn't come home last night, and he never appeared this morning either. I've called all our friends and they haven't seen him since yesterday. Also, Sora's mom can't find Sora either."  
  
Izzy sat horrified, jaw wide open. The e-mail's prediction had come true, only it was too late.  
  
"Ka...ri...," he managed, "Have you checked your e-mail?"  
  
"No." she said meekly.  
  
"We have a major problem here. Check it, and then we need to meet with the other Digidestined. I totally mean this, we have one MAJOR problem."  
  
-------  
  
"Yolei, Cody run!" Ken yelled as the three darted though night time, deserted city streets, trying desperately to get away from their grizzly pursuer. The had only gone out for some ice cream on a nice summer evening, when they had been tracked and pursued by a vicious Digimon killer.  
  
Behind them it came crashing through streets and cars, Metal Tyrannomon. It's giant steel hulk smashing after them.  
  
"He's fast for a fat ass!" Yolei yelled back, jumping off a curb.  
  
"Yoilei, please don't make him any madder then he already is!" Cody yelled, leaping onto a side walk.  
  
The three made it outside of the city blocks and ambled across the street to the park, hoping to lose him or hide or something. A little ways in near the pond the three slowed down, the sound of a crashing Metal Tyrannomon having subsided.  
  
"He's... huff ... huff... gone?!" Ken said breathing heavily.  
  
"No... ugh... probably just waiting to finish us off." Cody huffed.  
  
"Why...?" Yoilei said but was cut off by an eerie presence.  
  
There was a silence, cold and dark... and then a voice, a young girl's frightening bodiless voice.  
  
"Going out for ice cream with out the others?" it asked.  
  
"Who is this?" Ken called angrily.  
  
"You shouldn't leave the others out, you might need them."  
  
"Wha... what's going on?" Yoilei asked fearfully.  
  
"Nuclear Laser!" cracked Metal Tyrannomon's voice  
  
A monstrous greenish yellow beam of light burst out from between a field of trees and cratered the ground before the three Digidestined. The resulting explosion threw up dirt and debris all around, as well as cast the unfortunate kids around like rag dolls.  
  
Above the three, as their bodies wriggled with aches and pains, the giant metallic skull of Metal Tyrannomon loomed over them. It opened it's giant claw to reveal a small saucer-disc.  
  
"Very good my steel pet," the voice spoke, "Firewall Contingency!"  
  
Blasts of blue energy surrounded each of the three where they lay, and soon the siluettes on the cool grass dissipated and blinked out of existence.  
  
Above, the gigantic metal dinosaur growled ominously surveying the blasted landscape for more possible prey, and then it was gone.  
  
------  
  
"All right guys we've got to talk about this." Izzy said to his fellow Digidestined.  
  
All the Digidestined were gathered at the oak tree that they had gathered to discuss the problem that had come before them in the past, or rather all the Digidestined that could be found. The absence of certain members disturbed others.  
  
Izzy spoke to the others from the base of the tree. Behind him, propped against the great tree's side was Matt, in a really bad mood, over his girlfriend, Sora's absence. To the left of the tree, TK sat comforting Kari to his left, who was still upset about her brother's disappearance, and (obviously) Davis to her left trying his best to soothe her. Next to him, Joe sat calmly sipping on a packaged juice, his confident and cool manner helped to strengthen others in his presence. Finally, even though Mimi lived thousands of miles away in New York City, she was present through a satellite feed, simulcast, on Izzy's laptop, she was in her pajamas eating pop corn.  
  
Sora and Tai, of course weren't there, but more strangely, Ken, Cody, and Yoilei couldn't be found, they could only assume that they had also been done away with.  
  
"So we all got the e-mail right?" Izzy asked.  
  
The group all nodded, and Mimi yawned a "Yup."  
  
"What I want to know is, who sent the e-mails in the first place?" Joe asked  
  
Kari looked up, "We're not sure, but all we know is that it was sent from somewhere in the Digital world."  
  
"Could it have been that Jenye guy?" Davis asked.  
  
"No I don't think so..." TK mumbled.  
  
"I was talking to Kari, VD." Davis blurted slyly.  
  
"VD?! Did you just call me VD?!" TK began to yell at Davis.  
  
"Quit it both of you." Kari silenced them, "Besides I agree with TK..."  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh..." Davis murmured upsetly under his breath.  
  
"... Jenye was never so cryptic before, and he at least told us it was him."  
  
"It could be Azulongmon." Davis chimed in.  
  
"I doubt it's anybody we've meet before, you guys." Mimi said, "Who ever sent it wants to keep his identity secret... or something."  
  
"Right, I agree, but there are more important things then that." Izzy said, "Some new enemy is causing our members to disappear, but we're not the only ones this is happening to. I've got reports of Digidestined going missing all over the planet."  
  
Izzy began to overlook a sheet of paper he had, "Derrick from Australia, Mina from India, Uri and Ana from Russia, one of the Pou Brothers of Hong Kong, most of the Digidestined of America, and a whole list of Digidestined gone missing all over the world, and all this in a span of three days.  
  
All the group had there fearful eyes locked on Izzy, "You guys understand, we're an endangered species! Someone is on a worldwide mission to wipe us out."  
  
The group grew quiet. Until Matt groaned like he was going to say something, but stopped. Then;  
  
"Are those who... disappear," Matt said carefully, "kidnapped or...uh... being murdered." Both Matt and Kari cringed on that last word.  
  
"Well... we don't know, but we'll find out, Matt." Izzy said.  
  
The quiet again.  
  
Joe cleared his throat, "Well, I think we can't do anything until the mail sender shows up like he says, but one thing we can do is bring our Digimon back from the digital world for protection. We should keep indoors at night and keep in touch. OK?"  
  
He was answered with nods and smiles.  
  
As the group got up to leave, Davis ran after Kari, "Don't worry Kari, I'll protect you."  
  
Letting the friends laugh a little, except for Davis.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
  
(Will Izzy and the rest of the digi-destined discover what's going on, or will they fall victim to this mysterious new enemy as well? Will Sora and Tai's treachery be revealed? Will anyone ever take Davis seriously? The answers to these questions {except the last one} are all in the next exciting chapter of Digimon: New Heroes: The Progeny)  
  
  
[That's my first chapter. Please let me no what you think, I accept all opinions. If you fell in love with the sultry situations tell me, if you thought that I ramble on and on and never stop, that I'm repetitive and redundant, and I repeat myself, tell me. But, I really do hope you fell in love with it. Oh, another thing, I wrote this awhile ago so it's when my writing ability was getting better, if you see anything else by me, Fumo_the_Smoker, you can look at this as the beginning. Paz.  
- Fumo] 


	2. Salvation's Calling

Digimon: New Heroes - The Progeny  
By Fumo the Smoker  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, don't be angry at me, it's all good  
Rating: PG-13 - for Mild Language, Mature Situations, and violence (the good stuff)  
  
Writer's Note: One of the characters is "based" on me, can you guess which? (giggle, giggle)  
  
Chapter Two - Salvation's Calling  
  
Julian clicked off his CD player and padded down his shaggy brown hair as he stepped of the exit ramp to the airplane. He made his way past other crowds and through customs, amazingly they didn't catch the digimon concealed in his back pack.  
  
He stopped and searched his surroundings cautiously, a force of habit from few days of constant paranoia.  
  
The Puerto Rican Digidestined was on a mission. Someone was defeating his fellows all over the world, and he wasn't about to sit around and be counted among them. So, learning from the warning sent to him by who knows, he'd came to Tokyo, Japan to find salvation from the unknown enemy, and hopefully find a way to fight back.  
  
Julian walked through lobbies on his way out, but before he left, he thought he saw someone he once knew. A beautiful, young girl, with golden blonde hair that was curly on the bottom and one hell of a swanky fashion sense was seated on a bench, looking like she was waiting for something, but with a look of confusion, like she didn't know what she was doing.  
  
That French Digidestined, Catherine, he remembered. He had meet her during the world tour. She was an elegant rich type he remembered. She was probably here for the same reason he was.  
  
He walked over to her, "Catherine?"  
  
She looked up at him with full blue eyes, she smiled, "Ahh, Bonjour... Julian, right?"  
  
"Yeah, hi." He said giving her a gently hug, "Lemme guess, you're here for that rendezvous, too."  
  
She looked kind of upset, "Yes, I waz hoping zat I could stay with one of the Japanese Digidestined I meet on ze World Tour, but... a... I have not been able to reach any. I fear they are no longer around, anymore. So... I'm waiting for... I don't know what..."  
  
"Why doncha you come with me." Julian asked.  
  
"Ah... where are you going?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"You don't know?"  
  
"Nope, I was gonna find a hotel I think."  
  
"But, you don't know where." she said trying to clarify  
  
"Yep. So you wanna come?"  
  
She smiled as she scratched her chin, "You are a very different person then I am Julian, I would never be so reckless, but it seems that fate has brought us together, so I will go with you."  
  
"All right, let's go. Do you think that there could be any other digidestined."  
  
"I don't think there iz a doubt." she said gathering her things. "Everyone left will show up here, eventually."  
  
-------  
  
Izzy was brought back to consciousness by a strange sound. He didn't know where he was. He looked around his surroundings, and realized that he had fallen asleep at his computer desk again. Perhaps, it would have been better if he'd stayed asleep.  
  
Joe's plan had failed and in a span of three days almost every digidestined on the planet had disappeared, including Joe, Mimi, Matt, and TK. The only ones left were him, Davis and Kari, at least.  
  
In fact, Kari and Gatomon were in the guest room of his house, and Davis and Veemon were sprawled out on the floor of Izzy's room, intertwined between sheets and pillows. They had decided they could be more affective against whatever, if they stayed together.  
  
It hadn't worked completely. One by one, the digidestined were tracked going out for milk or walking home, and they were never heard from again.  
  
Izzy yawned.  
  
They were in quite a predicament.  
  
Tentomon, who had just been sleeping on Izzy's still made bed, fluttered in the air as he veered around Izzy's head.  
  
"Good morning Izzy."  
  
"Oh hi, Tentomon."  
  
"Still upset Izzy?"  
  
"Yeah, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do."  
  
"Izzy, I was wondering, what that sound was that woke me up?"  
  
Izzy looked up at Tentomon, "Sound...?" then Izzy remembered the sound, "Oh yeah, it was my priority e-mail reminder."  
  
Izzy jumped into action, he pressed a bottom on his key board, turning off his screen saver. He brought up his Internet connection, and checked his new e-mail.  
  
"Prodigious!" he yelled, causing Davis to groan on the floor.  
  
"Uh... oh, Kari... kissy, kissy... unnnnnnnnnn." Davis moaned giving Veemon a strangling embrace in his sleep.  
  
Veemon woke with a squawk, "Ahhhhh, Davis lemme go!"  
  
"...no Kari... don't fight the love you feel for me...!"  
  
"You know, I think that boy's got problems" Tentomon jeered.  
  
Izzy grabbed a rolled up sock and fired it at Davis's head, and it collided with a thump, "Davis, get up! There's another e-mail!"  
  
Davis coming out of his sleep talking, "Wha ju say...?"  
  
"There's another e-mail! The guy from the digital world sent us more instructions!"  
  
Davis pulled himself up from the floor with a tired yawn, "Well, what's it say?"  
  
Izzy read aloud;  
  
"Dear Digidestined,  
I've found a way into the real world and I'm coming to help. I don't know how many of you are left, but I can stop the disappearances. Meet me in Shujini Park, in Odhiba, Tokyo, Japan, tomorrow at dusk.  
- A Guardian of Both Worlds"  
  
"Wow, all right. We have a meeting place... I'll wake up Kari, heh, heh."  
  
-------  
  
Julian looked over the new piece of e-mail on his green hand-held internet terminal. It was a good sign. His plans were working out, the phantom sender was making good on his deal to come.  
  
Sitting in a plush chair in his motel room, he went over the wording carefully. He had to go over every word carefully, make sure that he understood everything correctly. One slip up could lead to his own disappearance.  
  
A yawn drew Julian's attention to a ball of fur sleeping on the floor. His partner digimon, Simianmon. The tree monkey-like digimon was stretched out on the floor snoozing silently in front of the cool air conditioning. It had a slender body like a brown tree monkey, with white tuffs of fur on the side on it's face, and a bushy end tail.  
  
He looked up at the others like him, those that had also come to Japan in search of salvation. Julian and Catherine had found several others.  
  
On one of the beds, Catherine sat quietly brushing her long beautiful hair, the girl from Paris, France grown up in the lap of luxury, now living in a room with several others. Her Floramon seated next to her helping her brush.  
  
Next to her sat another, talking to another of the digidestined. Her name was Gina, she was American, from Charlotte, North Carolina. She was a caring Digidestined, who would give up everything to help another. She had long dark brown hair and smooth black skin with a considerate smile. Resting on her shoulders, her Drakemon, an uncommon digimon consisting mainly of a long reptilian head with no body, only a long scaly green tale, and a pair of leathery wings, was resting and listening to her conversation, as Gina talked to...  
  
Farris. Farris was a calm, patient boy from Edmonton, Canada. He liked to think things through before he did them. You could really relay on a guy like Farris. He had dark green hair, shortly styled with lots of hair gel, and a pair of thin framed glasses. His digimon, one Julian had never meet before, Furrimon, was bouncing on the bed. It was kind of similar to a big hamster, with thicker, dark brown fur with no tail.  
  
Finally, Lani laid on her cot, singing the words to an Italian rock song she was listening to on her CD player. Lani was a firebrand from Palermo, Sicily. She had a fiery and wild personality, despite her being very short. She had shoulder length raven black hair. Her attitude was reflected in her digimon, Dinomon, who sat at the foot of her cot. Dinomon looked a lot like Agumon, but with a redder color, and a row of black spines leading from it's forehead down it's back. It was busy chomping on a cantaloupe.  
  
Julian made a dour face. Where did he get that cantaloupe, he thought.  
  
Catherine counted down with each brush, "Tua... due... i une. Mercee Floramon."  
  
"Nes pa" Floramon returned.  
  
Julian wrote a note on his internet terminal, as he watched the gorgeous Catherine.  
  
"Catherine's cute, learn French." he wrote in Spanish.  
  
Just then, Lani popped up, "I'm hungry!"  
  
Dinomon looked up from finishing his melon, "Me too!"  
  
Julian looked up, "You just ate a cantaloupe."  
  
Dinomon shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, when you're hungry, you're hungry."  
  
Catherine stretched her arms, "What time iz it? We should get some dinner."  
  
Farris lifted his arm to view his watch, "7:36, it's dusk."  
  
They all went silent.  
  
"No, none of us should go out at night." Gina said stoically.  
  
"But Gina," Drakemon said to her, "We have to eat."  
  
"Maybe if Dinomon, hadn't eaten the whole cantaloupe!" Furrimon called.  
  
Arguments started to break out.  
  
"Well, I would have shared it...!" Dinomon yelled  
  
The noise was too much for Julian to take, "I'll go!"  
  
The room quieted.  
  
"Come again." Simianmon said waking up.  
  
"I'm not gonna starve because of fear. I'll go get some food."  
  
"Your a brave one, Julian." Catherine said.  
  
Julian smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, what can I say."  
  
"I guess I can't let you go by yourself. You'd be helpless with out me, ya know." Simianmon said leaping onto the back of Julian's chair.  
  
Julian smiled, "Sure Simianmon, whatever." He said sarcastically.  
  
He got up with encouragement from his peers, grabbed some money, and opened the door.  
  
"You should probably only go to that deli down the street there." Farris said pointing out the window.  
  
"Ok, we eat sandwiches then." Julian said.  
  
"Good luck." the crew mumbled.  
  
"Tch, I don't need luck. I got pure skill." Julian said boastingly, but only for show and to beguile any nervousness he had.  
  
With that, Julian left. With Simianmon hiding in his back pack, he embarked down the road.  
  
It was a warm night. The darkened road was quite, no one else around. A few cars were parked by the side. Julian had an eerie feeling, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. The eeriness was really starting to piss him off.  
  
Julian pulled out his terminal, and connected to the satellite Internet, he typed in an address, and wrote a little note. Then left it alone in his back pocket. It would be his contingency plan.  
  
He made it to the deli, uninterrupted. He bought a couple loaves of bread, some deli meat, mayonnaise, pickles, and a banana for Simianmon. He paid and walked out into the street, and was overcome with a silence. A strange feeling come over him, he could tell it was happening.  
  
Julian set the bag of food on the ground.  
  
"Running away Julian. That's not like you. Coming all the way to Japan to escape little old me." a mysterious girl's voice called from no where.  
  
Julian wasn't about to let a disembodied jeer call him a coward, "Not at all," he said calmly, "I prefer to call it a tactical retreat. By coming to Japan, I'll be able to come back and get you."  
  
"Well, you should know by now that the original digidestined are gone already."  
  
"I never said I was here for them."  
  
The voice was quiet, thrown off by Julian's calmness and unexpected answer. Julian realized, this voice didn't know about the e-mail. What an advantage.  
  
"Well suit yourself, but I highly doubt you can do anything." followed by a low chuckle.  
  
A giant crash drew Julian's attention. Something big had fallen from up high and smashed threw a car's top and windshield to the side of the road. It laughed menacingly, white eyes glowed at Julian.  
  
Julian wrenched the terminal out of his pocket, and jammed the send bottom.  
  
------  
  
In the motel room, the others waited patiently for Julian to return.  
  
Suddenly, Gina's light blue wireless internet terminal blared loudly, a priority e-mail had been sent to her. Gina grabbed it up and read her screen.  
  
"What's happened?!" Lani yelled.  
  
Gina looked over it quickly and read aloud.  
"Hey Guys!!!!!  
Get your asses out her now!!!!!!!!!  
-love, Julian"  
  
Catherine ran to the door, "Let's hurry!"  
  
-------  
  
It chuckled lightly as it pulled itself out of the wrecked frame of the former Mercedes. It was an imposing sight. It was humanoid in form. It's muscular skin was a pasty gray, with darker gray streaks at different places. It's head was dominated by horribly shaggy black dreadlocks. A scarlet mask covered it's upper face and the tip of it's nose menacingly. It's eyes were replaced by horrifying white slits. It wore black pants, and gigantic black boots. It had a loose black vest on with that skull and crossbones symbol on the back, so common among bad Digimon.  
  
"Greetings coward. I am the prince of the night." It said in a voice unlike the one Julian had heard before, deep and raspy.  
  
Julian crossed his arms, refusing to be intimidated "Is that what your mama named you."  
  
"No, that name I earned. You may call me Vampiromon." He said confidently.  
  
"And you may call me your worst nightmare. Go Simianmon!"  
  
Simianmon leaped out of Julian's backpack, did a flip and landed right in front of him. Julian wrenched out his digivice, as it began to glow.  
  
"Simianmon digivolve to...," Simianmon yelled as he lit up, and soon it's voice was several octaves lower, "... Apemon!"  
  
Apemon was impressive looking, but it had no time to be admired.  
  
Vampiromon lurched from the broken car and ran at Julian.  
  
Apemon dashed toward Vampiomon, and pulled the long bone from off it's back.  
  
"Mega Bone Stick!" Apemon yelled.  
  
Apemon lifted the bone high above it's head, and brought it done on top of Vampiromon.  
  
Vampiromon lifted it's arm and blocked the swing.  
  
Apemon tried to force Vampiromon's arm with the bone.  
  
Vampiromon moved under, and up, hurling Apemon over his head and into a parking meter. Apemon sprawled out across the pavement in pain.  
  
He laughed, and turned to Julian.  
  
"You can't beat me. I rule the darkness you miserable little twit!"  
  
"You're really full of yourself." Julian said smirking.  
  
"When you're as good as I am, your should fill up on as much as you can."  
  
"Then eat this! Mega Bone Stick!" Apemon yelled, hurling the bludgeoning devise through the air.  
  
Vampiromon chuckled and simply caught the tool in the air. He never even turned away from Julian, smiling vilely at him.  
  
Julian crossed his arms and smiled back.  
  
"Pathetic..." Vampiromon said, and then he saw what he was holding. Instead of a long bone, it was the parking meter that Apemon had collided with.  
  
"Sucker…" Julian mused.  
  
"Mega Bone Stick!" Apemon yelled.  
  
Swinging his bone like a baseball bat, Apemon smashed Vampiromon in the back, causing the dark digimon to go barreling forward. Julian leaped out of the way, as Vampiromon crashed into a mail box, rolled across concreit, and into a plate glass window.  
  
"Very nice, Apemon." Julian said, picking himself up.  
  
"Yeah I know, but didn't that seem a little too easy."  
  
Julian scratched his head, "Well, it was really easy for me, ha, ha."  
  
"Yeah, you just stood there..."  
  
"Hey, I had to keep up with the witty repartee…"  
  
An angry scream could be heard from the darkened store that Vampiromon had cascaded into. And then the remaining glass and bricks burst out in a fierce energy blast as the aggravated Vampiromon stepped out of the rubble.  
  
He was seething mad, "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"  
  
"Julian get back," Apemon said pushing Julian to the side, "Metalic Fur!"  
  
Apemon's chest, face, and hair fur grew shiny, then a blast of silvery energy rocketed out at Vampiromon.  
  
"Ebony Cast!" Vampiromon yelled.  
  
Vampiromon started to pulsated with a strange black energy. He held out his arms at either side like a cross, and then the energy blasted off of him in that cross.  
  
The two energy blasts veered towards each other and collided, but the Ebony Cast simply dissipated the Metalic Fur, and smashed into Apemon head on.  
  
Apemon yelped and sank back into the street.  
  
"Apemon!" Julian yelled  
  
Vampiromon reached into his pocket and pulled out a small saucer-disc and brandished it at Julian.  
  
"Your time is over!" he yelled.  
  
Julian looked around for an escape.  
  
"No way out, twit!"  
  
"Dragon Cannon!"  
  
A massive globe of red fire cascaded out of the sky and smashed into Vampiromon. Vampiromon shrieked and fell away as the small saucer disc dropped and rolled away.  
  
From out of no where, Lani ran into view, and dove for the devise before Vampiromon could recover.  
  
Airdramon came into view, Gina riding on top of her.  
  
"Finally, you guys get here!" Julian called.  
  
"Julian are you all right." Catherine yelled coming into view with Floramon at her side, and Farris with Furrimon running up behind them.  
  
"I'm super." Julian returned with fake grin on his face.  
  
"I could use some help though." Apemon said sitting up.  
  
"I got ya help right 'ere" Farris yelled holding out his glowing digivise.  
  
"Furrimon digivolve to...," Furrimon called, his siluette disappearing in a brilliant yellow glow, "... Pinemon!"  
  
Pinemon, was a fearsome champion digimon. He appeared like a giant porcupine. It had short bent legs, relatively short arms tipped with big claws. It had a feral rodent face with glaring teeth. But primarily, it's body was dominated by long brown quills, sprouting from it's back.  
  
"Spike Ball!" Pinemon yelled.  
  
Pinemon rolled into a ball of pure spikes, and raced over and over toward Vampiromon. Vampiromon held out his arms and grabbed onto the base of a set quills, holding the giant spiny ball back strenuously. Trying to push it back, while Pinemon tried to run him over.  
  
Lani came running over, "Hey Julian, ju get da salami!"  
  
"It's in the bag."  
  
"Good. Now go Dinomon." she yelled holding up her digivice.  
  
"Dinomon digivolve to... Tyrannomon!"  
  
The giant dinosaur eyed Vampiromon wearily, "Fire Blast!"  
  
Tyrannomon released from it's mouth a monstrous grout of flame at Vampiromon.  
  
"Lani watch it you'll hit Pinemon!" Farris called.  
  
"No I won't!"  
Vampiromon grabbed Pinemon by two of it's spines and lifted it off the ground. He spun it around and hurled the spiky ball at the flame. Pinemon squealed as it collided with the fire.  
  
"See!" Farris yelled.  
  
"That's not Tyrannomon's fault." Lani yelled.  
  
Vampiromon ran towards Tyrannomon. Tyrannomon spun with the intent to smash Vampiromon with it's large tail. Vampiromon caught the large thing's tail and held it firmly, growling angrily.  
  
Gina jumped off Airdramon's back and ran to the others.  
  
"Julian is that the thing that's causing the others to disappear?" she asked.  
  
Julian shock his head, "I don't think so. There was another, a girl's voice that had no body. It talked to me from... well, no where."  
  
"That's weird." Catherine said.  
  
Airdramon rushed at Vampiromon. Vampiromon strained and spun Tyrannomon around by the tail and smashed him into Airdramon. The two groaned as they fell to the ground.  
  
"His passing record is two for two." Julian mumbled.  
  
"Floramon, it's your turn!" Catherine yelled, holding up her digivise.  
  
"Floramon digivolve to... Kiwimon!"  
  
Vampiromon was wiping his hands off, when he sighted Kiwimon. It began to chuckle.  
  
"Your kidding me." he said.  
  
"Don't underestimate my Kiwimon!" Catherine yelled angrily.  
  
"Fine. Bring it on, peewee" Vampiromon said facing the Kiwimon.  
  
Kiwimon didn't look happy, "Pummel Pat!"  
  
Small replicas of Kiwimon's head appeared and fired out of her head at Vampiromon. Vampiromon had to shield his face to protect himself from.  
  
"Damn you... stupid bird!" he yelled, "Ebony Cast!"  
  
The cross energy fired out disintegrating the little replicas, and smacked Kiwimon across the street.  
  
Vampiromon began to yell, "THAT'S IT! I'm ending this right now!" he searched for something in his pants, "Hey where'd it go..."  
  
"You mean this?" Lani said holding up the disc.  
  
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I don't care what she says, I'm going get rid of all of you!"  
  
"No!" the bodiless girl's voice called, scaring the group. She command respect with that voice. "Back off, Vampiromon! We'll deal with them later!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"NOW!"  
  
Vampiromon looked upset, then he pointed strait at the group, "YOU BETTER THANK WHATEVER GOD YOU SWEAR FEALTY TO, THAT MY MISTRESS WANT'S A FATE FOR YOU DIFFERENT THEN WHAT I WANT!" and then he disappeared.  
  
The eerieness faded.  
  
"What ze hell jus' happened!" Catherine said.  
  
"Das one weird digimon." Lani said.  
  
Julian turned to the rest of the group, "We gotta talk. That was some truly pathetic team work."  
  
Farris frowned, "I agree, man. If we're going to fight whatever's out there, we have work together."  
  
"We tried, you guys, but zings just didn't work well for us." Catherine said.  
  
"That's not the only problem." Gina said solemnly.  
  
The group looked wearily at her.  
  
"I'm very sure that Vampiromon is an ultimate." she finished.  
  
Catherine sighed.  
  
"That would sure explain how he thoroughly decimated us." Farris mumbled.  
  
"Hey we beat him, didn't we." Lani blurted.  
  
"Wrong. That weird girl called him off." Farris said.  
  
"We just delayed the inevitable." Gina finished for him.  
  
"Hmm..." Julian groaned, "The way she ordered him around... he totally stopped when she yelled at him."  
  
The group frowned.  
  
"I'm hungry!" Dinomon yelled, who had dedigivolved to rookie like the rest of the digimon.  
Everyone laughed.  
"Yeah, let's go eat. We can worry about this tomorrow." said Farris grabbing the bag and the group began to walk back to the motel.  
  
"Julian?" Catherine called, causing Julian to halt.  
  
Julian turned to Catherine, she was smiling at him.  
  
"Zat waz very smart of you to send zat e-mail."  
Julian was smiling now, "Thank you Catherine."  
  
She wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head on his shoulders. She whispered softly in his ear, "I am glad you are all right."  
  
"Thanks." he said blushing.  
  
She kissed him quickly on the cheek and ran to catch up with the others.  
  
Julian couldn't stop smiling as he watched her leave. He began to dance behind there backs. The happy-go-lucky strutting dance of a man who had just got some.  
  
He sung quietly, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah..."  
  
-------  
  
"I'm glad you came to us with this." Izzy said typing on his laptop.  
  
"I'm just glad we found you at all." Julian said leaning back.  
  
Izzy had taken Julian's digivice and placed it in the digivice slot on his laptop. He was busy typing in his old digimon encyclopedia program put there by Jenye many years ago.  
  
As Izzy worked at his computer desk, Julian sat in the chair next to him quietly watching him work. Gina was perched on the computer desk, stretching out the crinks in her hands. Standing against the book case to Julian's right was Farris, watching Izzy work as well. On the floor; Davis, Kari, Catherine, and Lani played a friendly game of poker, while the digimon watched, like nothing was ever wrong that brought them together.  
  
It was 10:00 in the morning, and late last night the group searched 6 different phone books, and finally found Taichi Camiya's residence, who told them the bad news, and directed them to Izzy's house. So the whole gang, left the motel and found their way here.  
  
"How does this analyzer work?" Gina asked Izzy.  
  
"Simple my friend. My Digimon analyzer uses your digivise to bring up files on digimon you've already seen. These files were all already written by Jenye."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Hey Kari," Davis blurted, "Do you wanna play strip poker..."  
  
He was answer by a smack in the back of the head and a gaggle of giggles.  
  
"Prodigious!" Izzy said.  
  
"You got it?" Farris asked.  
  
"Yes indeed." he turned the laptop to face the others. On it were some words and a picture of Vampiromon, "Was this the guy who attacked you, last night?"  
  
"Yep, that's the dork." Julian said.  
  
"Can you locate the female voice that we heard?" Gina asked.  
  
"Sadly no. I can only analyze digimon that were seen, not heard. Besides I don't that voice was a digimon at all"  
  
Gina looked surprised, "Yeah?"  
  
"Oh yeah, we've encountered certain humans gone bad in the past. This voice you talked about doesn't seem like a digimon.  
  
Julian scratched his face, "Yeah, that sounds correct. She didn't seem like a digimon the way she talked, if only for a little while."  
  
"What does it say on the screen?" Farris asked.  
  
Izzy leaned in closer, "Vampiromon is a dark digimon with an arrogant personality. He likes to intimidate his targets with his dark sence of humor and original way with words. His Ebony Cast attack exudes negative energy."  
  
"That certainly describes him," Julian uttered, "but that doesn't give us much to go on."  
  
Izzy frowned, "I guess not."  
  
Gina sighed, "I guess there's nothing we can do until the meeting tonight. Do you know where is this... um... park..."  
  
"Oh yeah, Shujini Park, it's right over there."  
  
Izzy pointed to a location through his window. It was a tuft of trees down the road.  
  
"Ok, so that's it, we wait until the rendezvous tonight. Is there anythin' we should go over 'till then?" Julian asked, putting his arms behind his head.  
  
"Ah, yeah." Izzy started, "Do you get the feeling not all of us are taking this seriously...?"  
  
"Of course it's valid, this card's a wild!" Lani yelled.  
  
"Wild card?" Davis blurted, "What is this, crazy Italian rules?!"  
  
Izzy, Julian, Gina, and Farris groaned, annoyed.  
  
  
(Will Julian find the answer he is looking for, or will he meet the similar fate as so many other of his Digidestined fellows? What is Vampiromon and the Voice's agenda? Is Davis a little too obsessed with Kari? The answers to these questions {the last one we already know} are all in the next exciting chapter of Digimon: New Heros: The Progeny)  
  
[That's my second chapter. Please let me know what you think, I accept all opinions. So now that you've identified the New Heroes, can you figure out which one I'm "based" on me. That's right, My real name is Julian, I'm from Puerto Rico, and I eat sandwiches. Don't hate me cause I'm egotistical, you'd do the exact same thing! Write me!  
- Fumo] 


	3. Conferences and Dance Cards

Digimon: New Heroes - The Progeny  
By Fumo, you know how I do...  
  
Disclamer: I don't own Digimon, don't be angry at me, it's all good  
Rating: PG-13 - for Mild Languege, Mature Situations, and violence (the good stuff)  
Writer's Note: I'm not exactly sure what happened to the Golden Digiegg, just assume I'm right, ok. I also want to say I wrote this when I was just starting out, I have since then become a lot better, if you liked this you should read my Outlaw Star fanfic, Outlaw Galaxy: Old Habits Die Hard. Paz!  
  
  
Chapter Three - Conferences and Dance Cards  
  
Julian stared off at the setting sun. It was going down over the ocean from his view in Shujini Park. He stretched his arms. They had been waiting at this spot in the park for a while now. They had chosen an area surrounding a turned off fountain, with several comfortable benches.  
  
It was a relatively cold night, not a good sign, Julian thought. He was forced to wear a pair of ridiculously baggy black denim shorts, and a thin worn, light green t-shirt that said "Golpe Justo" on the front in big white letters, and a large X on the back, between the arms of the X were, H, in the top spot, C in the bottom, P, in the left spot, and R, in the right, a symbol that only meant something to those who really knew what it meant. He didn't think it would be so cold, it was summer after all, so he didn't really pack anything warmer, he was for Puerto Rico after all as well. He turned to look at his fellows.  
  
Izzy had his computer to the side of him as he sat on a park bench, legs crossed, calmly drinking hot cocoa his mother made. He wore a dark red sweat shirt and loose kakis. His calm attitude helped to calm Julian as well.  
  
On another bench, Kari had fallen asleep, on Davis. Julian wasn't sure his vision was working right. Kari had was slumbering softly on the bench her head resting on Davis's shoulder, Davis's arm around her shoulders. Even though Davis was asleep, he had an enormous grin on his face. Davis was in his traditional flame jacket zipped up and brown shorts. Kari wore a light pink wind breaker and tan skirt with high pink socks.  
  
Just then Kari jerked in her sleep, actually snuggling closer to Davis. Julian's jaw popped open. This spectacle both warmed and disturbed Julian.  
  
Lani was playing with her hacky sack. Kicking it up and behind and back up again, she rarely missed. She appeared so simple to the naked eye, but really she was an intricate girl. Julian perceived her as fearless, despite any hard evidence yet. She wore red-lined snap pants, and (despite the cold) a tight black, sleeveless shirt.  
  
Farris was sitting on the short rim of the fountain playing a smooth, classical tune on his guitar. Farris was a proficient guitar player, he could play a wispy tune that could take you away. He did it partly for practice, but mostly to calm the others. His effort was greatly appreciated. He was in a baggy brown corduroy pants with a long chain leading from a belt loop to the back pocket, a loose black t-shirt with the Deftones "White Pony" logo on it, and he also had a black bandana that he tied around his elbow. Julian didn't know why he wore a bandana there, but he didn't question it. Farris was a steady rock for the others. Julian always knew where he stood and was glad he was there  
  
Gina was sitting calmly on one of the benches scribbling away in a drawing pad she had. Julian could not see what she was drawing but he could tell see was drawing very carefully, shading edges and highlighting certain areas. She was like that with things she cared about, as well as people, paying attention to detail and differences, always trying to please. Gina had an effect on the others that made them feel totally comfortable with her friendliness. She dressed warmly, she had a red leather jacket on over a tight fitted white t-shirt with the word "Sweetie" on it, and a pair of form fitting blue jeans.  
  
All the digimon were seated in a circle, now playing their own game of poker. Gatomon had just called Simianmon's bluff and was reaping the benefits.  
  
Julian then realized he knew a lot more about the people he was associating with then he thought. Each was special and important in their own way. This was amazing in and of itself. Each had their own thing to contribute to the group as a whole.  
  
Then he spied Catherine, walking toward him. She was beautiful, she wore a long sleeve shirt that had alternating green, red, blue, and orange colors separated by short white lines and a big white collar and wrists. It was so retro that it had to be stylish. She also wore a short, wavy black skirt that ended right above her knee. As well as, some nice black Burchenstalks with gold buckles, and some thin, high, black socks.  
  
Stylen', Julian thought, "Nice shirt."  
  
"Thank you. It's Gouchi."  
  
Catherine walked up beside Julian and gazed off into the sunset.  
  
"It iz so beautiful here."  
  
"Uh huh." was all Julian could manage.  
  
"Tell me Julian, how did you become a digidestined?"  
  
"Well, a few years ago, when Myotismon invaded the real world, I saw a Dargomon swiming in Mayaguez Bay. I mean, it bobbed around a few times and disappeared. Then I went home, and out of my computer came a digiegg. That's pretty much it. How 'bout you?"  
  
"Basically ze same. A few years ago, I saw an Okuwamon flying around ze Eiffel Tower, and on my computer appeared a digiegg."  
  
Catherine took a deep breath. Julian noticed as she breathed out it was a little coarse stutter. Julian frowned. He looked down to her hand. It quivered a little.  
  
Julian could sense something wrong with Catherine, "Catherine is somethin' wrong?"  
  
Catherine quickly turned to him, "No, I....," she turned to the ground, "...Yes, actually. I'm scared."  
  
"Of what's happened or what's going to happen?"  
  
"Yes, well, all of this that's happened has frightened me that I might be next, and with parents like mine, always away, I have no one zat I can rely on. Oh,   
you wouldn't understand."  
  
"Why wouldn't I understand, Catherine?"  
  
"Because, you are so strong Julian. You are fearless. You can't understand. I need people and I had no one except Floramon, and I was afraid to even go outside. I felt helpless. It took me a great deal of courage to even take zis trip to Japan. So, how do I hide my fear, talking to people as if I had none."  
  
Julian wrapped his arms around Catherine from behind and spoke to her softly, "You don't have to fear anymore. I'd never let anything happen to you, and you must know, that I'm there for you always. Don't fear anymore."  
  
Catherine smiled, "Actually, I have not been scared for the last couple of days."  
  
"Yeah, why is that."  
  
"Because, when I saw you when you had no idea where you were going or what you were going to do from then on, but you were so sure of yourself in what you were going to do. I knew that I didn't have to fear with zum one like you?"  
  
Julian smiled, "Yeaaaaa?"  
  
"Yes, I would be too worried about you getting your ass kicked, to worry about myself." she chuckled.  
  
Julian answered her playful insult with tickling. They both laughed, Catherine more so, they indulged in this moment of joy in such a tense situation. They soon elevated to an intimate moment, as Julian kissed her sweetly on the lips.  
  
--------  
  
Izzy watched the two sweet hearts fool around by the fountain. It was nice to see love in bloom, in such a strenuous time.  
  
Izzy sighed.  
  
Suddenly, his computer stated to beep.  
  
Izzy grabbed it up, spilling his hot cocoa in the process. His computer program, designed to show openings in the digital world, was showing an opening only a little ways away.  
  
Gina had stopped her drawing, Lani stopped playing, and Farris slowed the tempo of his song. They all peered at Izzy, looking for possible instructions.  
  
Izzy nodded, "I've got contact on a portal to the Digital world opening around here."  
  
Lani took a deep breath, "OK EVERYBODY, HE'S COMING!!!" she yelled, "LET'S GO!!!"  
  
Julian and Catherine, in the midst of a kiss, abruptly stopped and ran to Izzy.  
  
Kari and Davis woke up lightly, yawning and stretching, until Kari saw who she was propped up against, and pushed Davis off the bench. He landed on the ground with a thud.  
  
"Owwwww, what the devimon..."  
  
All the digimon groan at not being able to finish their game but came obediently.  
  
Everyone stopped what they were doing, grabbed their things and ran to Izzy. Izzy studied his monitor.  
  
"Where to Izzy?" Farris asked.  
  
Izzy lifted his finger toward a collection of trees off the path. A faint white light could be seen through it.  
  
"Through there!"  
  
The group ran as fast as they could across the grassy nowl and between tall trees. The faint light grew more pronounced as they ran on. It shined from behind trees so that it was just out of view.  
  
Soon, the group came into a small clearing that connected to a part of the park's large pond. The white light emanated from a central ball of energy that hovered in the air.  
  
"That's it!" Izzy yelled as he entered into the clearing.  
  
The ball of energy started to shift in the air, then reality seamed to tear around it as white rips formed up and down from it. From inside this white pocket of energy, a shady siluette pushed it's way out of the thin tear.  
  
The figure stretched out to full length as it stepped into view. The figure had a familiar look about it.  
  
"Leomon?" Izzy asked  
  
The figure turned it's feline head to Izzy.  
  
"I'm afraid not, but he is my mate. My name is..." the group all hung on her words, "... She Leomon."  
  
The crew looked over the digimon before them. Though female, she bared a surprising resemblance to Leomon. She had a thin layer of fur, the same color as Leomon's. She was tall and muscular, with an accentuated "chestal" area. She had large taloned feet and claws like Leomon, but where Leomon had a shaggy mane, She Leomon had a bare head like female lionesses. She wore ragged black pants, and a tight dark red vest with silver buckle-buttons. Also, she had a tight black collar around her neck with silver studs, and several black bands tied around her wrists. She had several scars all over her body.  
  
"Are you all the digidestined that made it?" She Leomon asked.  
  
She was answered with nods.  
  
"Hmmmm... that's unfortunate."  
  
"Um, excuse me," Davis uttered, "how did you get here?"  
  
"By creating a conduit in-between the lines of code that separate the Digital world with the Real one, creating this portal." She answered.  
  
None of the others understood, but Izzy gasped, "Wow, you did that yourself?"  
  
"No, actually, He did..." she said, turning to the portal.  
  
From the white tear another figure stepped though and out on to the cool evening grass. It was a strange hunched over digimon that looked at them with irregular eyes.  
  
She Leomon turned back to the baffled digidestined, "This is my partner. His specialty is working with the underline computer programs that run the digital world. His name is Hackmon.  
  
"Howdy." Hackmon said in a weird, squeky voice, "Pleased ta meet cha'."  
  
Hackmon was a weird digimon. It's head was a plat of metal with a cut out piece that moved for a mouth, two eyes made of glass, one bigger then the other, and long, pointy hair made of copper wire. It's neck was a metal pipe leading to a boxy metal torso with several ports and connections in the right chest. It's arms and legs were metal pipes leading to metal graspers. In one mandible was a large black brief case.  
  
The group waved and mumbled "Hellos", overwhelmed by the situation.  
  
"So, ah, Miss She Leomon." Kari started, "What is going on, anyway?"  
  
She Leomon walked over to Kari and put one had on he shoulder as she knelt down, "I guess I should start from the beginning. About a few weeks ago, I discovered a certain digimon trying to collect digimon for some major expedition to the Real World. He was a lanky fellow, with a bad attitude, dirty vampire comes time mind when I think of him."  
  
Julian chimed in, "Vampiromon!"  
  
"Yes, correct. So, I decided to check it out and joined his band myself. Within I found he was working for a contact within the real world, I don't know who, however. This contact could cause disruptions in the reality of the real world, letting it's agents slip in and out of these areas of distortion. With this ability, this evil was going to kidnap certain people, the digidestined.  
  
Izzy smiled, "So, they're alright."  
  
"I'm not sure, but I know they also use a certain devise to capture their prey."  
  
Lani dove into her pocket, "Oh, you mean this." she said pulling the sauser-disc she stole from Vampiromon a night ago.  
  
She Leomon picked up the devise from Lani's hand and examined it carefully. It was two hard, thin sausers pressed together, with a small rubber button between them.  
  
"Yes, this is it." She Leomon said after a few moments, "It's called a Firewall Activator. It creates an impenetrable wall of energy that encases a victim and then transports them back to the capturer's lair. Learning of the plan. I immediately sent for my forces to attack, but before we could get there, they disappeared somewhere into the real world. All I could do until Hackmon could break into the Real world, was send you a warning."  
  
"So what can we do now." Farris asked, fingering his eyeglasses.  
  
She Leomon looked toward Hackmon and nodded.  
  
Hackmon open his brief case slightly and pulled out a small blue crystal and threw it to She Leomon.  
  
She Leomon lifted the crystal for everyone to see, "This is a Mystical Stone, It can cancel out the effects of our mysterious enemy's Ilusion Web."  
  
She Leomon broke the crystal into dust with one squeeze of her fist, at the behest of the group. She held the pile of bits and dust up to her face, and blew gently. Amazingly, the dust blew higher and harder then She Leomon had. The blue dust spread all around the digidestined and moved on into the woods and over the pond.  
  
"Soon the dust will spread all over the city, then Japan, and all over the world in a day. There will be no where that this enemy's Illusion Web will be effective, but that just means we'll be able to see his agents coming."  
  
Catherine spoke up, "How do we help the others?"  
  
"That's where my help ends. The only way we can find that out is by confronting our enemy, but to do that we'll need to be as strong as possible..."  
  
She Leomon walked into the group of kids and Digimon and separated them into two groups. One was Izzy, Tentomon, Kari, Gatomon, Davis, and Veemon, the other was, Julian, Simianmon, Farris, Furrimon, Gina, Drakemon, Catherine, Floramon, Lani, and Dinomon. She pointed to Izzy's group.  
  
"Our opponent will have Digimon at least the Ultimate level. You have Ultimate level digimon." She Leomon then pointed to the other group, "You, however, do not."  
  
"Wait!" Davis yelled, "I don't have an Ultimate level digimon."  
  
"Don't you." She Leomon smiled, "What about Magnamon? A Golden Armor Digimon is the same as an Ultimate level Digimon."  
  
"Yeah, but I can't digivolve into Magnamon anymore." Veemon called, "Davis broke the Golden Digiegg."  
  
"It was an accident!" Davis yelled.  
  
A smile slide across She Leomon's face, "It's true the Digiegg was broken, but... Hackmon."  
  
Hackmon chuckled as he opened his brief case. He revealed the last content of the case, as everyone could see, was something wrapped in a gray cloth. He pulled it out and hurled the brief case into the pond, strangely. He carefully unwrapped it to reveal a shockingly glittering item.  
  
Veemon and Davis gasped and yelled in unison, "The Golden Digiegg!"  
  
She Leomon called to them, "When the Digiegg shattered, Jenye's people painstakingly collected the peices and reformed it. Be very careful with that."  
  
"Think fast!" Hackmon yelled as he tossed the Digiegg.  
  
Veemon and Davis tripped over each other catching the Digiegg.  
  
She Leomon shock her head at the unbelievable acts that her partner seemed to perform everyday. She shrugged it off and pointed towards Julian's group  
  
"Now, you digidestined have only advanced to Champion. We need to change that."  
  
"But I thought we could only digivolve to Ultimate if we had a crest." Gina said.  
  
"Exactly." She Leomon returned.  
  
"Ahhh, well, only the original digidestined have crests, right?" Gina checked.  
  
"Wrong. Every digidestined has a crest based on one of their character trait. Only the original digidestined found their crests."  
  
The group began to talk excitedly about the prospect of obtaining their own personal crest. She Leomon cleared her throat to regain their attention, and the murmurs stopped.  
  
"So, you'll have to travel to the digital world and find your own personal crest...," she turned to the other group. "While you stay here and fight the enemy on your own terms."  
  
"Wait!" Julian called, "We're supposed to go off looking for crests while are friends stay here and fight?"  
  
Izzy chimed in, "Julian it's ok. You'll have to get the crests to fight on the right terms, anyway."  
  
Julian wasn't happy with this answer, "No, that's not good enough! Searching for crests could take weeks, and I'm not about to leave you guys at the beginning of this battle."  
  
"You're not leaving us defenseless. We now how to fight, Julian." Kari called.  
  
"I agree with Julian!" Lani uttered, "I'm not afraid to fight at any level."  
  
"This argument is futile." She Leomon finally interjected. "With out your crests you are officially useless."  
  
"Useless...?" Lani said angrily.  
  
"I don't like that word, I am not useless." Julian said sternly.  
  
She Leomon's regal voice changed to a voice full of discipline and command "You need to go with Hackmon to the digital world, so that he can close the portal from that side. You need to search for your crests once there, and achieve your Ultimate level. Then come back. This is a matter of necessity, you'll have to try to put your feelings behind you."  
  
Lani looked like she was ready to start a fight.  
  
Julian had an angered look on his face, but also one of worry, worry for leaving his fellows behind.  
  
Catherine, sensing Julian's distress, wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "Don't worry Julian. We can help each other better if we get our crests. Zen we can handle everything that comes ahead, ok?"  
  
Julian smiled at the pretty girl's inquire, "Ok, we'll go together."  
  
Julian turned to his fellow Champion digidestined, "What do you guys think? Should we go?"  
  
Catherine nodded. "Uh huh."  
  
"I'm good to go." said Farris.  
  
"Me too. Let's go." said Gina.  
  
"What about you Lani?" Julian asked Lani.  
  
Lani had her arms crossed, and was severely unhappy. She wriggled her frowned lips a few times, and said, "Yeah, I guess."  
  
Julian turned to the lioness digimon, "Well, you heard my people. Show us the way to the digital world..."  
  
Just as the crew readied themselves to make through the portal, an explosion diverted the group's attention.  
  
  
  
(What is the strange disturbance? Who really is She Leomon? How will Julian and the rest save the Real World if they are stuck in the Digital World? Did Kari really know she was snuggleing up with Davis? The answers to these questions {the last one was probubly no} are all in the next exciting chapter of Digimon: New Heroes: The Progeny)  
  
[That's my third chapter. I know it's pretty sappy, I bet it reeks of saptitude. I will give anyone who can tell me who is Golpe Justo mad, mad, mad props and kudos. Now you know the skimmy of what is the explanation of what is happening! What do you think of my side storys (certain love affairs, blosoming romance, there's a lot of love in the air)? What do you think of my fashion sence? Write me!  
- Fumo, No Need for a Last Name] 


	4. Last Resort

***Fumo has been busy with other stuff, but he delved into his vault and pulled out a true classic, the 4th chapter and most exciting of his New Heroes story, enjoy  
  
  
Chapter 4 - Last Resort  
  
A little ways away, a giant tree was ablaze in monstrous flames. There was no particular assailant in sight, but a dark figure appeared propped up against the back of the tree. It swung around the giant candle, and the lanky fellow stared out at the group with white eyes.  
  
The crew gasped as they beheld their hated nemesis.  
  
Vampiromon chuckled as he stood in front of the tree, "I told you I'd be back."  
  
Julian cocked his head, "No ya didn't!"  
  
"WELL,YOU SHOULD OF KNOWN I'LD BE BACK, YOU LITTLE PUNKS!" Vampiromon yelled.  
  
Davis laughed out loud, "You're a moron!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Vampiromon yelled back.  
  
"Really, you digidestined should have more respect for a knight in her unholy court." the flame seemed to call.  
  
The burning branches shook as something leaped out of the pyre. It was a burning, black figure that made a flip and landed only a few feet from Vampiromon.  
  
Vampiromon motioned to the burning fellow, "Let me introduce my esteemed colleague, Asuramon."  
  
"Don't worry, Vampiromon. I'll teach them some respect."  
  
"Who are these jokers?" Gatomon said indignantly.  
  
"...or if I don't," Asuramon continued, "he will!" he said pointing towards the ground.  
  
There was an intense rumbling in the ground. The land beneath the burning tree broke and cracked as something big dug itself through the earth. Soon a silvery carapace could seen cracking the roots of the tree as it fell over. A robotic dinosaur pulled itself from the sink hole it had just created, and roared ominously.  
  
"This is our friend Metal Tyrannomon." Vampiromon smiled cunningly, "Nuff said."  
  
"Boy, do these guys like to make an entrance." Izzy said.  
  
That girls voice, that haunted the groups first encounter returned, but where it had come from no where and everywhere, now it had a central point. Off in the forest, the possessor of that voice lurked, no longer imposing her eeriness.  
  
"Enough." she called, "I know what you digidestined are doing, and I can't allow it. I will destroy you and take control of that convenient little portal of yours"  
  
"Fat chance your gonna stop us." Julian called back, "Let's get 'em."  
  
Julian held up his digivise and the rest followed suit.  
  
"No!" She Leomon yelled.  
  
Julian turned his head, "Excuse me?"  
  
"You need to go to the digital world, so Hackmon can close it. We can't let HER get a hold of it."  
  
Julian got a totally stupefied look on his face, "I'm not gonna skip out, when the enemy's right over there. Now let's go!"  
  
"Simianmon digivolve to... Apemon!"  
  
"Floramon digivolve to... Kiwimon!"  
  
"Furrimon digivolve to... Pinemon!"  
  
"Drakemon digivolve to... Airdramon!"  
  
"Dinomon digivolve to... Tyrannomon!"  
  
"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon!"  
  
"Gatomon armor digivolve to... Nefertimon, the Angel of Light!"  
  
"Veemon armor digivolve to... Flamedramon, the Fire of Courage!"  
  
The horde of digimon raced after the three evil digimon before them. Apemon, Nefertimon, and Flamedramon charged after Vampiromon who lead them away. Pinemon, Kiwimon, and Airdramon attacked Asuramon. Tyrannomon and Kabuterimon slammed into Metal Tyrannomon. While, She Leomon looked on disapprovingly.  
  
The fights were a jumbling of fist, wings, and fire.  
  
--------  
  
"Dragon Gun" Airdramon screamed.  
  
The flying dragon shoot spherical blast that cascaded down toward Asuramon.  
  
Asuramon picked up a large clod of dirt, brought up by Metal Tyrannomon, and hurled it skyward. The energy blast hit it and sent debris everywhere. Pinemon and Kiwimon had to shield themselves from the dirt. In this moment of blindness, Asuramon capitalized. Asuramon drove himself into the belly of Pinemon, smacking him far back.  
  
"Hi Jump Kick!"  
  
Kiwimon meant to drive her leg into Asuramon's face, but was stopped short when Asuramon grabbed Kiwimon's clawed foot. He spun her around and flung her towards the heavens.  
  
He pointed all four of his arms toward Kiwimon and yelled, "The Fist of Asura!"  
  
From his arms burst forth raging pillars of fire, which would have incinerated Kiwimon, if it weren't on the last second, Airdramon raced by and pulled Kiwimon from the sky. Placing her on the ground, Airdramon raced head first at Asuramon.  
  
--------  
  
"Slamming Attack!"  
  
Airdramon's attack came up short, as Asuramon caught her by the head and held her firm.  
  
Pinemon came hobbling up to Kiwimon, "Do you think it's time for some of that team work?"  
  
Kiwimon nodded, "Yeah, let's do it."  
  
Pinemon picked Kiwimon up in one hand, "Mega Kiwi Dart!" he yelled hurling the aerodynamic, little bird strait at Asuramon's back.  
  
Asuramon had just thrown Airdramon to the side, as Kiwimon approached him.  
  
"Multiple Faces!" he yelled.  
  
Asuramon split into two bodies, and Kiwimon went sailing between them. Then, they came back together.  
  
"You'll have to do better then that!" Asuramon yelled.  
  
-------  
  
Kabuterimon and Tyrannomon charged into the massive bulk of Metal Tyrannomon. Each faction tried to force the other down. Eventually, Metal Tyrannomon won out, casting the two away.  
  
Kabuterimon leaped into the air, "Electro Shocker!"  
  
Kabuterimon sent a ball of lightning down toward Metal Tyrannomon. Metal Tyrannomon grabbed up the downed Tyrannomon and used him as a shield. The lightning splashed against Tyrannomon in a scream of pain. Tyrannomon lifted the cannon on his right arm.  
  
"Fire Blast 2.0!" he yelled, firing a spray of super hot flame, blasting Kabuterimon away.  
  
Tyrannomon, enraged, struggled and freed himself. He turned and stared at Metal Tyrannomon with cold eyes.  
  
"Fire Blast!" he yelled as he let loose an enormous breath of fire.  
  
"Nuclear Laser!" Metal Tyrannomon blasted a green ray from it's steely maw.  
  
The Nuclear Laser disintegrated the Fire Blast and hit Tyrannomon head on and blasted him away. Leaving Metal Tyrannomon cackling in victory.  
  
------  
  
"Godlike Knuckle!" Vampiromon yelled  
  
Vampiromon hammered Flamedramon in the face, casting him back like a missile. Flamedramon soared back and collided with Apemon sending them both to the dirt.  
  
"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon screamed.  
  
She fired a slab of granite at Vampiromon.   
  
"Ebony Cast!" Vampiromon yelled  
  
The cross of black power hit the slab and blew it to pieces. Vampiromon flew up into the air with unseen wings at Nefertimon. Nefertimon growled as she clawed at Vampiromon recklessly. Vampiromon dodged the flailing talons and kneed Nefertimon in the face. Then he grabbed her around the neck.  
  
Apemon jumping as high as he could, leaped onto Vampiromon's back, and bit him in the neck.  
  
Vampiromon screamed, "HEY, that's my trademark! Ebony Cast!"  
  
As the black energy lit Vampiromon up it spread to Apemon and Nefertimon. The two screamed agonizingly in pain. Vampiromon threw the limp Nefertimon toward the ground. He then pulled the monkey off his back and bared his fist.  
  
"Godlike Knuckle!" Vampiromon yelled as he slammed his massive knuckle into Apemon's face. Apemon went sailing and splashed into the pond.  
  
"Looks like I got the monkey off my back."  
  
"Nefertimon, NOOOOOO!" Flamedramon yelled as he caught the defeated sphinx out of the air right before she hit the ground. Then he turned to Vampiromon "YOU'LL PAY! FIRE ROCKETS!!!!!!!"  
  
From his armored hands, Flamedramon released barrage after barrage of fireballs up at the dirty vampire. He persisted with the fiery salvo until all that could be seen of Vampiromon's position was monstrous billows of black smoke, and he still didn't stop. Finally, Flamedramon lowered his arms to watch the destruction he had wrought.  
  
From the giant puff of smoke, a voice yelled, "Ebony Cast!"  
  
A black cross burst from the smoke and arced down at Flamedramon. It hit him strait on a flattened him in the dirt. And Vampiromon just laughed.  
  
"Chakra Kick!" someone yelled from behind him.  
  
Vampiromon turned just fast enough to see a silvery flash and a clawed foot in his face. The blow knocked him sailing. He barreled through the sky and crashed into the grass.  
  
"WHAT THE... She Leomon?" Vampiromon screamed, "Why you little turncoat. I guess you showed up after all."  
  
She Leomon returned to the ground and ignored him, "Digidestined! You Ulitmates have to digivolve, and you champions have to go, now!"  
  
Julian yelled across the field to her, "Your right they've got to digivolve, but we can't leave right now!"  
  
Izzy motioned toward Kari, "Remember, to digivolve to Ultimate, you've got to feel the crest within you."  
  
"Right."  
  
Nefertimon dedigivolved to Gatomon, and Flamedramon dedigivolved to Veemon.  
  
"Kabuterimon digivolve to... Mega Kabuterimon!"  
  
"Gatomon digivolve to... Angewomon!"  
  
"Veemon Golden Armor digivolve to... Magnamon, the Golden Warrior!"  
  
The three ultimates separated and dug into their targets. Mega Kabuterimon collided with Metal Tyrannomon. Angewomon fluttered around Vampiromon. Magnamon blasted toward Asuramon.   
  
The Champions, however, weren't looking so good.  
  
Airdramon and Kiwimon were on the ground battered and bruised, and Pinemon keeled over with sever burn wounds. Tyrannomon was scathed by flame, as well, struggling to get up. Apemon was struggling through murky water as he pulled himself out of the pond to the group of digidestined.  
  
"This isn't going too well." he said.  
  
"That's why he have to go, now." Farris yelled.  
  
Julian looked at him, "What?"  
  
"He's right, Julian. There's nothing more we can do here, we should hurry!" Gina called.  
  
"I can't believe you guys. We can't abandon our friends in the time of their most need." Julian reprimanded, "Lani you agree with me."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?!"  
  
Lani looked down sadly, "I want to help fight so bad, but Tyrannomon can't do anything unless he gets stronger."  
  
Julian couldn't believe his ears, "Catherine?"  
  
She looked at him with sadness in her eyes, "Julian there's nothing more we can do."  
  
Julian got a fierce look on his face, "Then do whatever you want, but I'm not gonna give up, and neither is Apemon!"  
  
"Right!" Apemon yelled.  
  
"Let's go." Julian called coldly.  
  
With tears in her eyes Catherine watched Julian and Apemon ran toward the battle.  
  
-------  
  
Mega Kabuterimon crashed into Metal Tyrannomon. The two locked hands and tried to push the other away. They both growled angrily in their shoving match. Then, Mega Kabuterimon kicked in his rocket booster, and forced Metal Tyrannomon over. Mega Kabuterimon continued to push the android and dragged his metal carcass across the ground.   
  
Mega Kabuterimon jumped up into the air, "Electro Shocker!"  
  
He fired the really big ball of energy that smashed against it's steel frame.  
  
"Nuclear Laser!" Metal Tyrannomon screeched.  
  
It blasted a green laser out that knocked Mega Kabuterimon back and into the ground.  
  
The two equal adversaries struggled to get two their feet first. The giant beetle made it first.  
  
"Horn Buster!"  
  
Mega Kabuterimon smashed his horn into the dense head of Metal Tyrannomon. The steel dinosaur groaned as it collapsed into a heap.  
  
--------  
  
"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon yelled.  
  
She fired a lance of pure white energy from the bow attached to her arm. It arced out toward Vampiromon who was darting about a few feet above the ground. The arrow missed and split a large tree in two.  
  
Vampiromon thrust up at Angewomon with his fist. Angewomon dodged it and made a swift kick to the back of the head.  
  
Vampiromon fell back angered, holding the back of his head.  
  
"Ebony Cast!" he yelled.  
  
The black cross flashed out at Angewomon. Angewomon place one arm in front, it's hand up, and the other hand behind that, aimed strait for the dark energy.  
  
"Heaven's Charm!" Angewomon yelled.  
  
A shining pink screen of energy appeared in front of Angewomon's hands. The black blast crashed into it and dissipated.  
  
"Mega Bone Stick!"  
  
From out of no where, Apemon jumped up behind Vampiromon, and smashed him in the back with his bone. Vampiromon lurched forward.  
  
"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon screamed letting loose a radiant blast.  
  
The arrow splashed across Vampiromon's chest. He screamed in agony and fell to the ground.  
  
Angewomon came down form the sky to where Apemon was standing.  
  
"Nice job, Apemon." she said.  
  
Apemon looked at her grimly, "Just because I'm not an Ultimate, doesn't mean I'm useless."  
  
Angewomon smiled, "Indeed. Well said."  
  
-------  
  
"Multiple Faces" Asuramon yelled.  
  
Asuramon split into four different Asuramons. They circled and approached Magnamon cautiously. Magnamon barred his knuckles.  
  
"Magna Fist!" Magnamon yelled.  
  
He slammed a golden fist into the face of one of the Asuramons, as it crumpled away. An Asuramon punched Magnamon in the back, while another kicked him in the stomach. Magnamon answered with a leg strait back into the first Asuramon's gut.  
  
"Magna Fist!" he yelled, smashing the second Asuramon in the chest.  
  
The downed Asuramons seemed to change to a gas and were then absorbed by the last conscience Asuramon.  
  
"The Fist of Asuramon!" he yelled.  
  
Asuramon fired four continuous pillars of fire towards Magnamon. They hit, but Magnamon blocked, however the total force of the blast sent Magnamon reeling. Suddenly, Magnamon was pulled from the blaze by feral claws. She Leomon pulled Magnamon to safety.  
  
She stared Asuramon down, "Fist of the Beast Queen!"  
  
From her fist she released an energy replica of her face at Asuramon. To protect himself he had to cover his face with his arms.  
  
Magnamon regained his composure, "Magna Blast!"  
  
Magnamon pulled his hands to the side, and charged a purple ball of energy, then thrusted a brilliant purple ray from the ball. The beam cut through with the smell of ozone and smashed Asuramon a ways back with a groan.  
  
She Leomon ran to Asuramon's limp body, "Enough of this. We're getting no where fighting her minions." She wrapped a taloned paw around Asuramon's neck. "Who are you working for?"  
  
"Would you really like to know who I am?" the eerie girl's voice returned. It was coming from the bowls of the woods, no longer an anomalous voice, but it was getting closer.  
  
All parties stopped battling to watch the forest for a chance to see who was coming. Finally, it stepped out from behind a tree.  
  
It was a sloe-eyed white girl, about her mid teens, developing into a young woman. She had impressively cute features, an arrogantly sweet smile, with pale green eyes that pierced their souls. She had long, almost down to the small of her back, pale blonde hair, nearly white. She wore a long black trench coat with massive silver buckles. She had an air of confidence and command about her that could make one weak.  
  
"First let me tell you a story." She said as she walked forward, "Many years ago, before most of you were born. A great man came to this place, right around here. He had a dream of success in this world. Their was a young girl once, fresh out of collage, she was romanced by the strong passion and was soon in bed with him. She soon gave birth to his child. He returned many times to see his lover, but he never meet with his child because he didn't want to delude his offspring with his destiny, telling her of the fortune he had planned. Then, only a few years ago, he made good on his destiny, he invaded the real world."  
  
All the digidestined gasped, they knew exactly who that was, "Myotismon!"  
  
The girl chuckled a bit, "Yes. But, his destiny never came to fruition. The digidestined killed him. And all this went by without the child knowing the truth. Then a few months ago, that child was approached by a gangly fellow. He told her that he knew her father. Then he told her everything, about her, about her father, about her origin, all the mystifying information that would drive most mad. The child, however, embraced it. The fellow revealed himself as her uncle, and together they delved into her inner power, a gift from the dead Myotismon."  
  
Everyone was stupefied by this mesmerizing speech. The girl watched them carefully as she spoke.  
  
"The end result, was a child stronger then any other human or digimon ever. This child had the power to complete her father's destiny that he had left to her. To rule both the Real and Digital worlds... and dispose of the digidestined!"  
  
All eyes were glued on her.  
  
"As you may have discovered by now, the father was Myotismon, the women was my mother, the uncle was my good Vampiromon, and the child...," she hung on the last part, "... the child was... me! So... let me introduce myself. My given name... is Alicia Okinora, but my new name is... Lady Myotismon!"  
  
All the digidestined and digimon, except the evil ones, gasped and yelled in unison, "LADY MYOTISMON?!?!?!?!"  
  
"That's right!" she yelled, "I'm half human, half digimon, the daughter of Myotismon, the niece of Vampiromon, and your new master of the world! I'm the one who captured your friends, but don't worry there just fine."  
  
She removed her large trench coat and cast it to the side. In the split second that her coat blocked the view of her, she transformed. She became taller and her shin was a light gray. Over her face was the white mask of Myotismon, and from out of her coy smile were two vampire fangs. Her pale hair was tossed about and flying up the back of her head. She wore a tight gown, blood red in color, it had a plunging neckline showing much of her shoulders, it's sleeves were cut in strange shapes around her arm, it hugged her slim sides, then top side of each leg was cut out an oval, showing a seductive section of flesh, the bottom flared out to flowing velvet. She wore extremely high black heels. On her hands were scarlet gloves with severely sharp tips. Around her waist was a gray ribbon that flowed behind her, even with no wind.  
  
She chuckled, "You see this is my true form. Only recently found with the help of my dear sweet uncle, Vampiromon. Now that you know who I am, are you ready to fight!"  
  
"Hell yeah, we're ready to fight!" Julian yelled.  
  
"No, we're not." She Leomon said to Julian, "You've got to go to the digital world!"  
  
"Ahh, not that again. We can't leave right now! Get her, Apemon."  
  
Apemon had a horrified look on her face, "She's a Mega!"  
  
Julian gasped, "A Mega level digimon."  
  
"That's right," Lady Myotismon called, "I'm even stronger then my father."  
  
"You see the necessity, NOW?!" She Leomon yelled.  
  
Before Julian could say anything, Metal Tyrannomon leaped onto Mega Kabuterimon's back and bit his shoulder. Mega Kabuterimon screamed. Metal Tyrannomon lifted it arm to Mega Kabuterimon head.  
  
"Fire Blast 2.0!"  
  
The spray of fire from the arm gun was dealt to the gigantic bug.  
  
"Godlike Knuckle!"   
  
Vampiromon snuck up on Angewomon and punched her in the stomach. Angewomon keeled over onto her knees. Vampiromon then kneed her in the face, sending her onto her back.  
  
Asuramon side kicked Magnamon in the face. Magnamon stumbled back.  
  
"Magna Blast!"  
  
Magnamon shot the purple beam off sloppily, and Asuramon dodged it with ease.  
  
"The Fist of Asura!" Asuramon yelled.  
  
He shot the continuous blast of fire at Magnamon. Magnamon was thrown to the ground and burnt fiercely, as he screamed angrily.  
  
"You have to go. The only hope for us Ultimates is to run." She Leomon yelled back as she ran head long toward Lady Myotismon. "Chakra Kick!"  
  
Lifting one leg up she slide in a group of shifting silver shadows. At an alarming speed her body and foot raced toward Lady Myotismon. Lady Myotismon simply held her hand up.  
  
"Ghoul Reach" she called mockingly.  
  
Her hand extended drastically, catching She Leomon in the chest pushing her all the way back to a tree, crushing her against it."  
  
Julian stared angrily at the battle.  
  
"Julian!" Farris yelled, he had Furrimon beside him. All the Champions had dedigivolved into rookies again, accept for Apemon. "We have to go now, or we all get defeated, and there'll be no hope for anyone!"  
  
"He's right!" Izzy yelled, "You have to go, so WE can run for it!"  
  
Julian thought about it, he knew Farris and Izzy was right. He had to abandon this fight.  
  
"Ok, you guys go ahead, but I got to do sumthin' first." he said running toward the battle, "Apemon, I need to speak with She Leomon!"  
  
Apemon ran after him, "I understand. Let's go!"  
  
The others moved toward the portal where Hackmon waited impatiently.  
  
Lani and Dinomon made it there first, "How do we go through?"  
  
"Just step into the tear! Come on, hurry up!" Hackmon yelled irritably.  
  
Lani stepped over the lip of the tear and right through to whatever was on the other side. One by one the crew and digimon stepped through and disappeared.  
  
Hackmon waited, watching Julian run toward She Leomon.  
  
Apemon reached She Leomon first. She Leomon was still in the grasp of Lady Myotismon.  
  
"Mega Bone Stick!" Apemon yelled.  
  
Apemon brought his bone on top of the wrist of Lady Myotismon's large hand. Lady Myotismon's grip lessened and She Leomon was able top break free.  
  
Julian ran up, "She Leomon you be ok, I couldn't take it if my leaving got someone hurt."  
  
She Leomon smiled, "Don't worry. I'm not so easily hurt. NOW GO!"  
  
Julian and Apemon ran as fast as they could towards the portal.   
  
"I don't think so!" Lady Myotismon yelled, "Ghoul Reach!"  
  
A clawed hand soared out at the pair.  
  
"Fist of the Beast Queen!"  
  
A blasted of energy hit the hand sending it to the ground.  
  
She Leomon turned to Julian and Apemon and yelled at the top of her lungs, "KEEP GOING!"  
  
Julian and Apemon ran past Asuramon in a head lock from Magnamon. Magnamon called to them as they passed, "Good luck, you guys!"  
  
"You too!" Julian yelled back.  
  
Lady Myotismon smacked She Leomon to the side with the long arm and then retracted it, "There's no escape! Crimson Outbreak!"  
  
From her hand, thousands of small red globes fired at Apemon and Julian. Around them, many explosions sprayed them with dirt and grass. The blasts got closer and closer as they neared the portal.   
  
Hackmon leaped into the portal as the blasts started to reach the rift.  
  
Finally, a blast exploded too close and sent the two barreling forward. Julian could feel his feet leave the ground as he was sent forward. He glimpsed Apemon falling as well. In front of them the white tear in the fabric of reality gleamed brightly, directly in front of them. At last, everything turned white as they entered the surrealist inerts of the portal. 


	5. Rearrange

Chapter Five - Rearrange  
  
"What the hell kind of prison is this?!" Tai yelled.  
"Please Tai, stop yelling." Sora said quietly.  
Sora and Tai looked at each other quietly in their room which they had spent the last week in. Tai stood silently next to their little window, while Sora sat, legs clutched in her arms, on the chair.  
A few days ago, after that strange night where Asuramon had captured them, they awoke in this small room, and they had been here every since, simply stuck.  
Their cell, which is what it could only be known as after so long, was perhaps the strangest room ever. It was a small stone box painted a dull tan. It had one window, a hallway, two beds, a small lamp, and a simple, wooly chair.   
The hallway, however, was no ordinary hallway. When one would walk down it, they could go several yards before ending up in the same room they had just been in.  
The view out the window was even stranger, however. There were now bars, but a view of an immense ocean whirlpool as far as the eye could see. It's sound was unheard within the room, but where your head was outside the window, it was deafening.  
There was a wall by the tunnel out that wasn't what it seemed. It appeared solid at first, but you could walk through it to a secret room, a very swanky bath room with sink, toilet, and shower.  
Three times a day when you weren't looking, food would suddenly appear on their beds. It would happen when they were turned, or just when they blinked.  
With it's refined elegance, cheery nature and tumbling secretes, it was, understandable, eerie.  
Tai turned away from Sora's gaze, "I'm sorry Sora. I'm just really frustrated."  
"I'm frustrated too! You think it's easy being stuck here with..." Sora saw the pain in Tai's eyes, "... never mind."  
The tension between the two had escalated in the time they'd spent there. In the beginning, the two had tried to weather the hardship and fear together, but in the end Sora's feelings of guilt and Tai's frustration split the two even further.   
Sora saw this as the mother of all omens, that it was a sign of a truly bad decision. If she had never been out cheating on Matt with Tai, then they never would have been captured and brought here. She cried a great deal. She cried for her predicament, she cried for her guilt, but mostly, she cried for Matt and longed for Matt. Even though she did have feelings for Tai, she missed Matt, and being with out him made Sora remember and yearn for the things that drew her to him in the first place.  
What got at Tai was that he knew this, he could tell that she missed Matt. It made him cold and distant. He didn't want to lose Sora, but he knew there was nothing he could do. The only thing that kept him going was his constant search for an escape. He had gone over every brick of the room, the window, the bathroom, all the furniture, the hallway, he had searched every inch of their confinement area, and found nothing, but he couldn't stop. The minute he stopped trying was the moment he started to feel sorry for himself  
Sora began to quietly cry, again. She got up from her seat and ran through the translucent wall to the bathroom.  
Tai sighed and sat down on the wooly chair.  
A sudden fluttering of wings brought Tai's attention away from his misery. He turned quickly to the tunnel to see something race down it fluttering it's wings. Tai leaped out of the chair and ran to the tunnel doorway. He could see the shadow of something juking in the air as it went done the hallway.  
Tai yelled to Sora, "Sora come quick, there's something here!"  
Sora came out of the non-physical wall, her cheeks wet from wiped tears, "What?"  
"I saw something it went down there!" he said grabbing her hand and pulling her down the hall.  
Sora yelled up to her, "Tai, it's just going to lead back to the room."  
Tai called back confidently, "No. I have a feeling about this!"  
As the two ran out of the tunnel, they we expecting to be greeted by the familiar view of their small cell, but instead, before them was a gigantic amputheater. It was a large circle that sloped down to the center. It had a high raising top that had a domed skylight that gave a view of gentle orange clouds floating by. Along the side of the amputheater, there were many other tunnels exactly like theirs, and like theirs, people were peering out at his brand new area.  
Tai spreads his eyes wide and gasped in disbelief, and Sora did the same. There were other kids and youth like them, some with their own digimon, some just digimon. They all looked just as confused and cautious as Tai and Sora.  
"They're the digidestined." Tai mumbled  
"It looks like all of the digidestined are here. I wonder if..." Sora mumbled.   
Her unsaid question was understood and answered, "Sora!"  
Sora turned toward the voice and her face light up, "Matt!"  
The two ran to each other and held each other tightly, ignoring Tai completely. There was a flurry of orange and blonde hair as the two slammed into each other. Matt's arms tied tight around her body as if she might disappear if he loosened his grip any. Sora's arms wrapped around his necks and traced along his upper back, neck head, way too excited to be still. Sora let out some exasperated crys of happiness as she wept tears of joy into Matt's hair.   
Tai watched painfully as they hugged. Matt's face peered out from beneath the locks of orange hair he buried himself in, joy overtaking him with that elatedly happy smile on that stabbed into Tai's heart like a broken tree branch. Tai made a simple decision, and walked away.  
Around him he spied many people he had met from the World Tour, as well as some he hadn't known, all of them in the same confused predicament as he. Many of the digidestined had moved down near the center of the room meeting and discussing the strange circumstances of their meeting.  
"Tai!" something squeaky yelled.  
"Agumon!" Tai recognized the little dinosaur digimon, as he leaped forward to hug him, "What are you doing here?"  
"A guy named Asuramon appeared in the digital world and captured me."  
"Me too."  
"There's some really weird stuff going on here, Tai."  
"Yeah, believe me I know."  
The two made there way around talking about what had happened until they laid eyes upon some familiar faces. Joe, Gomamon, Mimi, Palmon, TK, Patamon, Yoilei, Hawkmon, Cody, Armadilomon, Ken, Wormon, Biyomon, and Gabumon.  
Tai and Agumon ran to them, "Hey guys!"  
The group meet them with surprised and happy hellos and hugs all around.  
"Tai we're glad you're, ok." Mimi said giving him a quick squeeze, "We all worried about you when we heard you disappeared!"  
"Yeah I..." Tai was interrupted by an uneven shaking entering the tips of his fingers, leading from the metal conduit floor.  
The whole room started to quake next. Then, from the center of the room a pillar started to grow from the floor, black and metallic like a car cylinder, which then produced a second thinner pillar when it reached a certain height, bellowing up from the center, and then a third, then from the center a figure rose to the same level as the last pillar.  
It was a pale green eyed girl with long, ashen blonde hair and a large black trench coat. She had a smug smile on her face as she surveyed the baffled onlookers, but beneath it the onlookers could see the rage held barely at bay as her eyes seemed to tremble in place.  
Her voice commanded respect as she yelled to all of them, "Welcome to my parlor... said the spider to the fly."  
The crowd groaned. By this quote of dastardly poetry, it was evident that they beheld their captor.  
She smiled at their dismay, "Let me cut right to the chase, my name... is Lady Myotismon…"  
The whole room let out one terrific gasp.  
"I am the daughter of Myotismon," she continued, "and the niece of, as some of you have meet, Vampiromon."  
About a third of the room gasped a second time.  
"I have brought you here to teach you cursed digidestined a lesson. You interfered with my father's grand design, and dared kill him as well. For that you will all pay." She said with almost professional poise and control, as if lecturing a child.  
The digidestined all looked at her with malice in their eyes.  
Lady Myotismon frowned, "You might have noticed that not all the digidestined are here. There are a few who've escaped my efforts, but don't get your hopes up. In only a matter of time, I will get a hold of the little rebels and crush them myself, but I just wanted to let you know, so you can get ready to mourn their falls."  
A thousand angry teeth glared at her.   
She smiled again, "Defeat is so much more fun when it crushes your spirit. Until then I'll keep you here. Feel free to make as much trouble as you want, because there is no chance of escape, ever. Enjoy."  
"Enjoy this, mate!" someone in the crowd yelled, "Get em' Crabmon!"  
The crowd parted for an angry Crabmon, "Water Cannon!"  
A solid spray of water fired from the Crabmon's mouth. It veered up at the platform and Lady Myotismon. She chuckled and held up her hand. The stream hit an invisible shield in from of her hand, and sprayed off harmless, falling to soak surrounding youth with the resounding yelps.  
"Fighting me is useless, as well. I'll be back to finish you off when I've dealt with your friends!"  
The platform that Lady Myotismon stood on sank, and she disappeared as it lowered into the floor. In at matter of seconds the platform disappeared and looked as it were never there at all.  
Tai turned to the group, "This is not good!"  
"What should we do?" Mimi asked.  
"First," Joe said, "We need someone to find out which of the digidestined aren't here, because those ones that didn't get captured are the only ones who can free us now. Someone should go around and collect all the names."  
"That's Good, I think Mimi should do it , she's a people person." Tai said.  
Mimi agreed, letting her radiant smile show out once again, defying the dreary circumstances, "Okay dokay."  
Tai looked at the group, "...annnnd, Cody and Yolei."  
"Alright." they said in unison.  
"We should also have some people inspect every room." Matt said strolling up with Sora, hand in hand, "Sora tells me the view from her room is a giant whirlpool, while mine is outer space... Gabumon!" Matt finished.  
"Matt!"  
"Biyomon!"  
"Sora!"  
The digimon and digidestined rejoiced at their reunion, as Tai watched silently.  
"That's also a good plan." Joe said, "The rest of us can do that, but I think the you and Tai should try to get some sort of orderly meeting going, you two are the leader types."  
Matt nodded and smiled at Tai. Tai looked cautiously his way and nodded back.  
"I'll right let's get to it." Joe finished.  
  
"Where are we?" Lani asked to no one in particular.  
Julian heard her say, as he picked himself off the ground. His shoulder hurt and he wasn't feeling in the mood to answer, weither the question was directed at him or not. He looked up around him. Apemon, now Simianmon, was picking himself up as well favoring his leg. The rift was gone now, Hackmon just sealing it up with what looked like a giant chalk board eraser. The group was all standing around admiring their new surroundings.  
And admirable the surroundings were, the city they were in was truly spectacular. It resembled the old Japanese city of Edo. It had a line of sharp angled, old Japanese-style houses along a red cobble stone street. Across from the houses was the blue sea stretching as far as the eyes could see. Behind the houses, taller buildings with the same ridged, old Japanese tiled design. Way off near the center of the city was the imperial palace itself of Edo. Along the streets Otamamon and Gekomon strolled along ignoring the splattering of humans around them.  
Hackmon finished his work, "The Digital world, duh. Come with me." Hackmon said rudely.  
Hackmon walked toward a building to the side, up some stairs, and into a thin, swinging door. The group followed him quickly. Inside, Hackmon was in what looked like an olden days cafe. He walked up to the bartender, a Mushroomon cleaning shot glasses behind a counter.  
Mushroomon smiled when he saw Hackmon, "Howdy Hackmon. Back with a couple of humans I see."  
"Yep. You have my package still?"  
"You were only gone an hour, of course I do." Mushroomon reached under the counter and pulled out a thin brown case, and handed it to Hackmon, "Can I get you anything else?"  
"Sure, eleven herbal teas, ok?"  
"Ok." Mushroomon said, setting out to work.  
Hackmon moved to a table by the window, followed by the befuddled digidestined. Hackmon sat down with a relieved sigh, and the digidestined followed suit. Hackmon sat down and gazed at the group contently. When he said nothing, the others in the group looked at each other confusedly.  
"Ah, Hackmon," Julian started, "Um, what's going on?"  
"We're having a tea break, duh."  
"Doncha think we should get started?"  
"Started with what?"  
"I don't know! That's what you're here for."  
"I I'm?"  
Julian narrowed his eyes at Hackmon "What's in the case, Hackmon?!"  
Hackmon looked down at the brown case in front of him, "Oh yeah. Here are your tags." He said opening the case revealing five yellow tags hanging from silver chains.  
The digidestined yelled anxiously grabbing at the tags. Then they sat back admiring the strangely shaped neck ornaments.  
"How do they work?" Gina asked.  
The tea arrived, and Hackmon slurped his cup noisily, "From what I've heard, all you do is dangle it by the chain, and it will turn in the direction you must journey to find it."  
Lani dangled her tag, it spun a few times and stopped in a certain direction, "How do we know when it works...," the edge around the face plate of the tag glowed red, "... never mind."  
"Eventually, you should come across a collection of irregular shapes, that should be your crest. You just place the tag on the crest and presto, Ya get da crest. Ah, I love herbal tea, it calms me so..." Hackmon said as he dozed off, snoring loudly.  
Farris rocked Hackmon gently to try to wake him, then harder and harder.  
"You better forget about waking him up." Mushroomon called from behind the counter, "It's easier to wake up the dead. Best to let him sleep."  
Farris shrugged and sat back down.  
Lani sighed, "That's one screwed up digimon."  
"I guess we should go then." Julian said.  
"No wait," Gina interjected, "There are some things that don't make a lot of sense. She SAID that she was out to destroy all the digidestined that were responsible for Myotismon's death the first time, and all the new digidestined responsible for Malo Myotismon's death the second time, but why is she then just kidnapping the digidestined. She SAID that she was keeping them safe."  
"Good point." Lani said. "Maybe it's the writer's fault."  
"No, Lani, here's the question, what's preventing her from killing the digidestined right now?" Gina asked.  
Catherine spoke quietly, "Maybe it's her human side preventing her."  
"Yeah, maybe on some sub-conscience level she knows that it's wrong to commit murder. So instead of killing us off, she'll keep us away from the world." Julian said.  
"That's like the ultimate weakness." Lani interjected, "She's not totally committed to her cause, and that's what we've got to exploit. We have to fight her evil side, while appealing to her human side."  
Gina smiled, "Exactly."  
"There's another thing that I don't get." Farris said, sipping his tea, "Lady Myotismon said that Vampiromon told her about her father. Now why did he do that. What's his reason for awakening the power of Myotismon's daughter. He seems like a really arrogant type, why would he come to the real world to seek out a new master, I mean he must have known about her power or he wouldn't of come. And also, how did he even know about the girl, and how did he get to the real world in the first place?"  
"I don't think we'll find any of these questions sitting here. We better start looking for those crests." Lani said.  
The group finished their tea until only Julian and Catherine was left. Lani and Dinomon followed their tag to the east. Farris and Furrimon followed their crest to the west. Drakemon digivolved into Airdramon, and Gina and Airdramon followed their crest over the sea.  
Julian sat back and sipped his tea, "Good tea, huh Catherine."  
Catherine said nothing.  
Floramon sensed something was wrong between the two, and decided not to get involved, "Come Simianmon, talk with me over here."  
Simianmon looked confused, "Ah, ok."  
Julian looked at Catherine. She looked down, away from Julian. Julian could see a tiny glistening of a tear in the corner of her eye.  
"Catherine what's wrong?"  
She sniffled, "You said we'd go together... and then you left."  
"Ahh, Catherine I'm sorry..."  
"Only a little while ago, you told me that I didn't have to fear any more because you'd be there, but right when I might have needed you the most… you left."  
Julian didn't know what to say, but he had to say something. He felt really awful that he made such a heart felt promise and didn't keep it.  
"Catherine... do you want to know what I fear?"  
Catherine looked up surprised.  
"I know that I'm strong, but not everyone else is. I fear that someone around me will get hurt because I wasn't strong enough to protect them. It's like an obsession I can't stand by or walk away when there's a fight. So when I couldn't leave back there, it was because I couldn't take it if anything happen to the others I'd leave behind." Julian said head held down.  
Catherine wiped her eyes, and got up. She walked over to Julian and gave him a big hug, "Now I understand you Julian. You have no need to worry Julian, you have to believe in the strengths of your fellows. We see you as are leader, but a leader has to trust those he leads." she said giving him a kiss on the forehead.  
Julian sighed happily, "I'm glad I'm with you."  
The four finished their teas and left. On the street, Julian and Catherine hung their tags. Julian's silver glowing tag pointed one way, while Catherine's yellow glowing tag pointed the other.  
"It appears we'll have to parts ways my dear." Catherine said.  
"I'll miss you."  
Julian was answered as Catherine grabbed him and kissed him passionately on the lips. When done, Catherine smiled, "I'll miss you too. Au du, Julian." she said walking off with Floramon at her side.  
Julian, still a little flustered, called back, "Adios, corason."  
As Catherine walked on, Julian began his happy dance.  
"Julian, you're a loser." Simianmon said, watching Julian make a spectacle of himself.  
"A loser who just got a kiss!"  
  
Kari looked sadly out the window. Every since the battle the night before, things had been a little tense for the remaining digidestined.  
The battle, after the others had escaped through the portal, ended with the group able to escape as well. They all came out relatively unscathed, except for She Leomon. Lady Myotismon had given her quite a beating, requiring her to be carried out by Magnamon. She now lay in the bed in the guest room of Izzy's house, recovering from a broken leg, several broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder.  
Kari surveyed Izzy's room as she rested against the window sill. Izzy was sitting at his computer desk, as usualy, looking over a schematic of a digivice on his computer. Gatomon was grooming herself quietly on a chair. Tentomon was on the floor eating one of the fresh baked cookies that Izzy's mom had just made. Davis and Veemon were out guarding the house. Kari could see them out the window. Veemon was sitting on the side of the road taking a little break. Davis paced from one end of Izzy's apartment complex to the other, the street light glinting off his goggles. He had an attentive look in his eyes, watching every leaf move and car go by, as he sipped on a thermis of cocoa. Kari liked Davis's vigilant nature, she sometimes felt she didn't give him enough credit. Despite his abrupt and annoying attraction to her, she still kind of liked him for his strengths that he hid inside.  
After the digidestined retreated, Lady Myotismon and her soldiers had retreated as well. Angewomon tracked them a bit, but she lost them when they split up inside the city.  
There where a lot of unanswered questions left, and Kari was worrying what those answers would cost.  
Kari walked over to where Izzy was studying his digivise.  
"What are you doing Izzy?" she asked.  
Izzy looked up at her, "I'm trying to learn the properties of Warp Digivolveing."  
"You want to make Tentomon a Mega."  
"Yes, but also the curiosity keeps me going."  
"How can you make it work."  
"I'm not sure, but I believe that Warp Digivolving has something to do with an irregularity in the digivise. When Angemon and Angewomon shoot arrows at Matt and Tai, I believe it tweaked their digivises a little. I believe with a little tampering I can institute a Warp digivolution in Tentomon.  
"Makes sense, I guess. We could really use a Mega digimon in the fight against Lady Myotismon."  
"I might even be able to do the same for you, Kari, and Davis too"  
"Cool."  
  
In the center of the city, looming above the yellow incandescence of the street lights, a white apartment building stood. In the darkness of night, the many windows of it were blackened, all except for the top ones. From them glowed an eerie white light that was brilliant and eye-catching for a moment, then suddenly vanished.  
Within the penthouse of that apartment building, two dark figures stirred. They had appeared with the strange white light, yet no one noticed.  
Inside was a precise collection of designer furniture, a bar, a computer and several large, expensive things.  
The two shadowy figures moved about the room. The first, Lady Myotismon, back in human form, was irate. She seethed rage between he teeth, her fists were clenched so tight they grew red, veins popped out in her head.  
The other, Vampiromon, watched her in silent amusement.  
"Damn them!" she yelled, "They've ruined it!"  
Her fist became ghastly, and sharp, and she trust it through a short table made of a fine mahogany, shattering it smithereens.  
"My sweet revenge, ruined by that upstart She Leomon!"  
She took her clawed hand and sliced through her black leather couch. The cut was so clean, it took a few seconds before it collapsed in on itself. Vampiromon grinned at the vandalism, thoroughly amused.  
"That stupid BITCH! Who is she to bring that Mystic stone of hers and screw with my destiny!"  
Lady Myotismon made a fist and slammed it down onto of a large stereo system, causing a shower of sparks over Lady Myotismon, but none affecting her.  
"And those stupid digidestined going to the Digital world! What do they even hope to accomplish?!"  
She opened her palm to reveal a small crimson fireball. She growled and hurled it at the refrigerator in the other room. It exploded with a burst of food goo.  
Vampiromon was enjoying every second, but he knew he had to reason with her, "Now, now my lady. Calm yourself."  
Lady Myotismon turned to Vampiromon with pure poison in her eyes, "Calm down? How can I calm down with She Leomon here, five digidestined doing who knows what in the digital world, that Mystic Stone is disrupting my Illusion Web, and I have three incompetent lackeys"  
Vampiromon smiled at her slyly, ignoring her insult for now, "Do not fret Alicia. The game's not over yet."  
"Game?! GAME?! You think this is game?! I'm fighting to avenge my father, what are you here for?!"  
Vampiromon walked toward the bar gingerly. He mixed himself a drink as he talked.  
"You know very well that I'm here for the same reason, but this will forever be a competition between you and the digidestined. You huff and puff, they with huff and puff back harder. The digidestined may have one uped us tonight in your mind, but in my mind the wheels are turning. She Leomon is here in the real world, and that's unfortunate, but you crippled her, she had to be carried away. Some of the digidestined escaped into the digital world, but what are they gonna do, and that means there are only three left. Your Illusion Web is thrashed and that sucks, we can't slip into and out of reality anymore, but you still can control peoples thoughts, that's why we still have this penthouse. As for three incompetent lackeys... I guess you'll have to make due..." he finished sarcastically.  
Lady Myotismon contemplated his statement, as Vampiromon drank his alcohol.  
Lady Myotismon looked back at Vampiromon with even more venom then before, "Don't call me Alicia."  
Vampiromon's confidence left him, his grin dropped. He realized he had made a mistake. He put down his drink and turned slowly to Lady Myotismon. A clawed hand flew out of Lady Myotismon's black sleeve and clasped Vampiromon's neck. He choke out a splatter of cackles, he grasped the arm trying to wrench it free as his glass bounced against the floor and turned his drink into alcohol carpet stains, and he fell to his knees.  
Lady Myotismon frowned, "I've told you before, Alicia Okinora is no more, she is a phantom. All that is left is Lady Myotismon. However, more importantly, don't presume to tell me what I'm doing wrong. As far as you are concerned, uncle, I can do no wrong."  
Lady Myotismon leaned close to Vampiromon as he gasped for breath, "And I certainly don't have to make due with any incompetence in my ranks. I want you to remember that. Have I made myself clear?"  
Vampiromon choked out a few words, "Ack... yes... ma'am..."  
"Good."   
Lady Myotismon lingered on Vampiromon's pain a little longer, then released him. Vampiromon gasped for air greedily, falling to the ground.  
"I'm going to bed." she said, walking into another room, "Clean this mess up."  
Vampiromon kept his eyes squarely to the ground, until he heard the click of Lady Myotismon's room. He lifted himself up and grasped the glass of poured out alcohol. A look of pure rage came over him, and he smashed the glass with his bare palm, letting the sharp pieces cut into his hand while the rest scattered across the floor.  
How could she treat him with such disrespect, after all he'd done for her. Showing her her dark gift, and this is the thanks he got. It was never meant to get this out of hand, it wasn't in Vampiromon's plan. But, he tried not to let it bug him, he knew he would strike back some how. At another time, when the elimination of the digidestined was complete. He would rise from behind her and slit her throat. He would show his brother's daughter why you should never disrespect Vampiromon.  
Vampiromon tried to calm himself down by taking a large bottle of brandy and draining it's contents. Pain was only temporary, but betrayal was forever. He could almost taste his vengeance along with the sweet taste of the liquor. It was a fact that Lady Myotismon was stronger then Vampiromon, but she was also drunk with power. She believed herself so above everyone that she would never see him coming.  
Vampiromon pulled out a small cell phone from his vest's inner pocket. He typed in a number, and within seconds, four Demi Devimons came flapping in the open balcony door. They landed at his feet silently and waited for instructions.  
Vampiromon pointed to the mess of furnishings and busted electronics "Clean up this mess, and get new stuff to replace it."  
Immediately, the Demi Devimons set to work, picking up pieces of wooded and fluff and flying them out the window. Vampiromon walked out to the balcony with his bottle of brandy. A super villain like him was above menial labor. He leaped up onto the rail and felt the cool night air on his dry skin. Leaning forward, he fell into the spacious void below. Diving deep, down towards the Tokyo streets, and narrowly pulling himself out of dive in time on invisible wings. It was time for him to reclaim the night. 


	6. Lani's Labor Pt 1

Fumo's back, it's funny I started this like 4 years ago, stoped it and never thought I would start again, but, look at me now. Maybe it's a new trend, going back to things. Oh well...

Chapter Six - Lani's Labor

Lani shivered in the cold, she greatly regretted not bringing her coat now.  
  
Before her was a veritable wasteland of snow and ice. A long plain barren of trees and grass, with occasional giant rock littered the ground, covered by long plates of snowfall. In the distance a range of mountain stretched out toward her. There was an eerie, windless calm over the field.  
  
Underneath her, she rode her Tyrannomon. Dinomon digivoled, as so Lani wouldn't have to walk in the snow and freeze to death. He held her inside his hand and held close to his heart. It warmed her a little, but a giant lizard can only provide so much warmth.  
  
Lani was getting ancy. She didn't like waiting too long. She was an action seeking kind of girl, and a long, arduous quest for a crest was cramping her style.  
  
Lani was a simple girl, she was a thrill seeker. To her, nothing was simpler. She looked for the excitement in life. Her life style was too fast paced for such a boring event. She was ready for some action, she was ready for a fight.  
  
Lani grew up in a small home in Palermo, Sicily in Italy. Lani's mother died when she was young, but she had 6 older brothers and her father to raise her. Obviously, 7 men aren't the best influence for a young lady, and she grew up a tough tom-boy. She was a fighter, an athlete, and a risk taker since she was old enough to walk. She grew up very tough, after all living in a small house with two bathrooms with 7 guys does that to a person, and was afraid of nothing. Lani never took shit from anyone and never let someone belittle her for being a girl. She was an avid soccer player, had an obsession for loud rock music, and an amazing amount of fighting prowess, despite her small stature.  
  
Five years ago, when she was 11, during the first invasion of Myotismon into the real world, she had witnessed a digimon. She was playing soccer with a couple of her brothers in an alley way next to their house, while her brothers were facing her, and she was facing them, she saw a Vermilimon ran past the entrance of the alley. Only she had seen it, her brothers thought she was just playing around. When she ran out of the alley to see if it was there, it was gone. This was during Myotismon's invasion. 2 years later, when she was 13, just a year before the fiasco with the Digimon Emperor, she was checking her e-mail, when she received a strange letter from a location called the Digital World. When she clicked on it, a digi-egg burst out of her computer, and the rest was history.  
  
"Lani?" Tyrannomon's monstrous voice inquired, "Are you OK?"  
  
Lani chuckled, "Yeah Tyrannomon, it takes more then a little cold to hurt me!"  
  
"Well good, because I'm as cold as a Fridgemon. Are we even going the right way?"  
  
Lani took the tag off from her neck and dangled it from her hand in the air. The rim on the glass plate glowed red. It pointed off over the horizon, as it always did. Lani nodded pleasantly.  
  
Then, the tag did something new. A solid beam of red light burst forth from the tag, surprising Lani and Tyrannomon. It trusted strait toward a solitary short mountain jutting out of the plain. The laser light hit right into the side of it.  
  
Lani grew excited, "Wow. It's pinpointed it's exact location. It must be in a cave on that mountain or something."  
  
"Super." Tyrannomon said unexcitedly. "Then we can go back home to "la belle sichilia" and warm up."  
  
The monstrous lizard trudged on through the snow on it's way towards the hill. Lani was so excited, she could almost smell that crest. The beam shortened with every step Tyrannomon made.  
  
"Lani do you hear that rumbling?"  
  
Lani was so excited she didn't notice the growing rumbling sound around her. She searched the plain for where the rumbling was emanating from.  
  
"That's not an earthquake. Where is it coming from?" Lani inquired to no one in particular.  
  
A couple of miles away, the cause of the rumbling could be seen. A long snowy hill was slowly, but surely rising. Snow was being shaken off by something coming up from underneath.  
  
"Lani, I have a bad feeling." Tyrannomon said.  
  
"Me too. You better floor it to the mountain!" Lani called back.  
  
Tyrannomon started a flat run toward the mountain, as the hill continued to rise.  
  
Soon shaggy fur could be seen through the snow, and a pair of large steel studded tusks as well. With one giant shake, the beast scattered the snow from it's body. It stood in full feral attitude, staring at the big red lizard ominously.  
  
Tyrannomon and Lani screamed in unison, "Mammothmon?!"  
  
Mammothmon roared at them angrily, and started to trudge towards them.  
  
Lani frown, "It's protecting it's territory!"  
  
"We better get to that crest quick!" Tyrannomon yelled, picking up speed.  
  
Mammothmon stomped after the pair, yelling angrily. When the two arrived at the foot of the mountain, Tyrannomon placed Lani down and turned toward the Mammothmon.  
  
Lani looked up at her dinosaur digimon partner, "What are you gonna do?"  
  
Tyrannomon smiled as only a lizard could smile, "I'm gonna heat things up!"  
  
"He's an Ultimate, you think you can handle him?"  
  
"Tch, of course I can. You just find that crest. Fire Blast!" Tyrannomon yelled, loosening a grout of orange flame that soared out and hit Mammothmon right on the face.  
  
Mammothmon yelped and shock it's head, but other then that it didn't stop.  
  
"Go!" Tyrannomon yelled as he charged at his wooly attacker. "Super Scratch!"  
  
Tyrannomon neared Mammothmon and unsheathed his claws. He slashed at Mammothmon's hairy face, loosening hair and flesh as his talons swept by. Mammothmon charged in close, and caught Tyrannomon under the arms with it's two tusks. Trapped, Tyrannomon tried to break free. Mammothmon lifted the dinosaur and wrenched him to the side.  
  
Lani turned away from the battle and trudged up the side of the mountain. She lifted up her tag, and the red beam shown towards a small cave in the rock. She tripped as she bounced up rocks and landed in a small patch of fluffy snow. She cursed, but got back up and doubled her speed.  
  
Peering into the cave, she found it dark and damp. She ran in, through snow and ice patches. The tunnel curved around, Lani stumbled through the darkness, until finally a light could be seen.  
  
At the end of the tunnel was an extensive cavern forested with stalactites and stalagmites protruding from the hard rock surface like talons, dark ice covered everything, and the few rays of light made them shiny like black crystals. As for the light, it came from several openings in the cavern's walls where it was exposed to the outside and letting in sunlit light like shower head lets out water. The light cascaded and sloshed around the cave until everything was bathed in a dull glow.  
  
However there was one spot that was different, it glowed a brilliant orange, and once Lani saw it, she was absolutely sure it was her crest. It was set at the top of, what looked like it had once been a tall cascade going down the rock along the walls deeper in the cave, however, now it was frozen in a beautiful, fluid sculpture. The crest was set deep within in the ice, like it was imbedded in the wall behind it. It was two lines, twisted into three sharp points like sharp teeth, and the two lines were parallel to one another, point to point. The whole hieroglyph glowed a deep orange, radiating like a neon sign.  
  
Stopping in her place, once she reached the mouth of the cave, she smiled. There was her crest, finally, she would get it no problem, help Tyrannomon to digivolve and waste that scruffy loser, Mammothmon. Or at least, that's what she thought. 


	7. Farris's Fandango Pt 1

The last chapter before I quit this…

Chapter Seven – Farris's Fandango  
  
Farris plopped down onto a big brown rock, exhausted. He untied his bandanna from his arm, and whipped his head with it.  
  
His was a long, hot, and dry journey. Around him was a short, but wide, mountain consisting of dry, sandy dirt and almost red colored rocks. Farris had to stop just for a moment, or his heat exhaustion would get to him.  
  
Farris looked down at the black bandanna his grandfather had once worn. It was old and weathered from many years of use. He remembered when he was eleven, how he and his grandfather had gone on a fishing trip on an extremely hot day, and that his grandfather taught him the perfect cast and given Farris the bandanna to tie around his head to keep the sweat from his eyes as Farris patiently kept trying until he got it just right. Farris smiled at that happy memory. Only a little while after that, his grandfather died, and all he had left of him was the worn black bandanna. Farris cherished the bandana greatly.  
  
He tied it around his head like his grandfather had.  
  
Farris was an intelligent youth. He was always cool and calculating. He always tried to make not only others, but himself sure of every decision before he did it. He was a patient boy, as well as tolerant. He was tolerant of other's sometimes confrontational personalities.  
  
Farris grew up in the northern city of Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. With his mother, father, and big sister, but the person who had the most effect on him was his grandfather, who lived down the street. From a very young age, Farris's grandfather was his teacher and friend. They went fishing and hiking together, as well as many other things.  
  
When Farris was eleven, during Myotismon's invasion, it was on one of these little excursions with his grandfather that Farris saw his first digimon. Farris was hiking, and several feet in front of his grandfather. Just as he rounded a corner on the trail, he saw a Gururumon sitting on the side of the mountain, staring off into the Canadian countryside. Farris stood stunned and turned to yell to his grandfather. When Farris looked back, the digimon had vanished. Farris had franticly tried to convince his grandfather that he really had seen a giant wolf. His grandfather finally said, that if Farris said he saw it, then he believed him. This meant a lot to Farris, and only a few months later his grandfather died of a heart disease. It was the saddest day of Farris's life, but a great gift was given to him only a couple months after that. The digiegg containing his digimon burst from an anonymous e-mail.  
  
"Hey Farris, what's the hold up?" Furrimon asked, hobbling out from behind where Farris was sitting.  
  
Farris was catching his breath, "I need a break."  
  
"A break? Now? But we're just getting started."  
  
"We've been walking for..." Farris glanced at his watch, "...five hours since that last town. I can't walk anymore. I don't wanna get heat stroke. I'm not used to this kind of weather. I don't think I've ever even seen a cactus before I got here"  
  
"All right, whatever..." Furrimon said unenthusiastically, "Can I see the tag."  
  
Farris pulled the tag off of his neck and handed it to Furrimon. Furrimon dangled it in the air, the familiar green energy border formed around the window and the tag turned to a direction behind Farris.  
  
"Hmmm..." Furrimon said interestedly as he walked off behind a couple of rocks, following the tag's direction.  
  
Farris sighed reaching among his things to the side. His hand came over the long neck of his wooden folk guitar. He brought it up to him and felt the metallic strings. He griped at frets and plucked a few methodical notes, as he delighted in the simple tones he preformed.  
  
Farris was motivated by his music. He loved even the simplest of music he could make.  
  
"OH WOW! Farris you gotta see this!"  
  
Farris jumped up instinctively, and ran back between the red rocks, guitar still in hand. He ran to a small out cropping where Furrimon gazed into the valley below.  
  
"Furrimon what is... Ohhhh..." Farris said looking over the ledge.  
  
Furrimon and Farris looked off into the sandy, desert valley at the bottom of the outcropping of stacked reddish rocks. A ways from the rocks, was a small village of wooden buildings (or more appropriately, shacks) with a small stone well in the center. Off in the distance were several acres of some tall crop, maybe corn. Dominating the view was a monstrous figure, it was reptilian and massive, with three spikes protruding from it's head, a Triceramon. It was growling things, holding a big sack open. Around it, small gray things scurried around franticly carrying buckets of something from a longer shack to the Triceramon's sack.  
  
Well," Farris started, "You don't see that everyday."  
  
"That's not all. Check this out." Furrimon said, holding up the tag he had clutched in his hand.  
  
It had the regular green border, but all of a sudden, a small green light laser burst out of the center, startling Farris. It seared down toward the shanty town and landed smack dab on the well in the center of town.  
  
"Oh wow! Our crest must be in that well."  
  
"Well, duh!"  
  
Farris ignored Furrimon, he grabbed the tag and hide it in his pocket, "We should keep a low profile, not screw up what ever is going on down going on down there, and let's just hope they didn't see our tag's light. Let's go."  
  
Farris packed his guitar in it's slender black case and made his way down the ledge, hopping from rock to rock, followed all the time by Furrimon. Farris made it down the hill and mad dashed toward one of the shacks on the outskirts. Made it there, and pressed himself against the back wall. Furrimon ran up seconds later. Farris caught his breath, as he peered around the side of the building.  
  
Now he could see what the little gray things were. Scared Gotsumon, Gizamon, and Gazimon ran franticly to a store house, they loaded wicker baskets with ears of corn, hoisted them up and hauled them to the large bag held open by Triceramon. This didn't appear to be a simple collect of food in a big bag. The digimon were visibly trembling every time they approached Triceramon.  
  
Farris was also close enough to hear what Triceramon was bellowing, "FASTER YOU WORTHLESS RUNTS! DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY, OR THIS TOWN'LL BE MY NEW CHEW TOY! PICK UP THE PACE, GIMME MY FOOD YOU WORKED SO HARD TO PICK FOR ME!"  
  
Farris gritted his teeth, "He's making them give him their crops." he said back to Furrimon.  
  
A Gazimon carrying a basket of corn walked a little to fast, and lost it's balance. It fall face first into the ground, spilling the corn before Triceramon. A stray ear bounced and hit Triceramon in the big clawed toe. All the other workers gasped. The Gazimon looked up in terror. Triceramon slowly averted his view down toward the sprawled out Gazimon.  
  
Triceramon lowered his voice a bit, "What do we have here? A troublemaker?"  
  
The Gazimon was petrified in terror, and couldn't move much less talk.  
  
Triceramon looked angrily down at the Gazimon, "You know, I don't ask for much. All I ask is that when I occasionally stop by, you give me half of the corn you have stored in your store house, so in return, I won't smash your village, and what do you do, YOU THROW CORN AT ME!"  
  
"No!" the Gazimon mustered, "but I didn't THROW the corn..."  
  
"And now you're talking back. This is great, just great. You know what I have to do now, don't you!" Triceramon glowered.  
  
The Gazimon backed away, "Wha... what are you gonna do?"  
  
Triceramon was taken aback by that question and had a surprised look on his face, "Ah, well... sumthin' bad, DON'T POINT OUT MY OWN VOCABULARY DIFFICULTIES!! You're gonna get it now!" Triceramon called stomping toward the Gazimon.  
  
Farris was seething mad, "Grrrrr! We can't let that happen!"  
  
Furrimon leaned around Farris looking at the Triceramon and frightened Gazimon, "So what are we gonna do?"  
  
Farris dug into his pocket and pulled out his Digivise as it began to glow, "Do it Furrimon!"  
  
"Ah, wait a minute. Triceramon is a Ultimate, I wouldn't have a chance."  
  
"But that poor Digimon in trouble, are we just gonna leave it?!"  
  
"Ah, I guess not..." The light engulfed Furrimon as he grew, "Furrimon Digivolve to... Pinemon!"  
  
Pinemon's lumbering form stepped out from behind the rickety building. The Triceramon hadn't noticed him yet, an opening. Pinemon placed his hands in front of him toward the bulk of Triceramon.  
  
"Needle Spray!" Pinemon yelled.  
  
Thousands of tiny needles blasted off his hands. The little spines hit Triceramon's armored sides, but merely bounced off. Triceramon stopped his foot's slow decent, the surrounding Rookies turned to view the new assailant. Pinemon growled at the three-horned dino.  
  
"Go get him, Pinemon." Farris yelled.  
  
"Dang it..." Pinemon mumbled.  
  
The Triceramon's red eyes glared at Pinemon, it started to chuckle maliciously, "And who might you be?"  
  
Pinemon's response was harsh, "Let the little one go!"  
  
Triceramon grabbed the fallen Gazimon by the head. He hoisted it up as it squealed frightened, "You want it? Come take it."  
  
Pinemon rolled into a ball, "Spike Ball!" The mass of quills barreled forward like a "Good Year" tire toward Triceramon.  
  
Triceramon continued to chuckle. The twirled around swing his big tail, the tail smash sent Pinemon flying backwards and collapsed across the ground. Farris gasped and ran out into the open to support his Digimon. Pinemon made a struggling effort and climbed to it's feet.  
  
"Oh, want another?" Triceramon jeered.  
  
Triceramon took a quick look at the furry mass between his fingers, deemed it uninteresting now, and tossed it behind him. The Gazimon bounced and scurried off to the barn, where the other inhabitants of the village were watching the battle. Triceramon angled it's head down.  
  
"Tri-Horn Attack!"  
  
Triceramon charged forward toward Pinemon was struggling to it's feet. The three horns prodded deep into Pinemon's soft underbelly. Pinemon shrieked and, with the force of the blow, Pinemon was sent sailing. Farris, who was running toward his partner, ducked to the ground as the spiky Digimon soared over head. In mid fall, a yellow light engulfed Pinemon, and he shrunk back to Furrimon. Furrimon landed far back with a thump.  
  
Triceramon made a gigantic laugh, "Is that all. I was expecting more form you, pin cushion. I've been waiting so long for a good fight, and it seems I'll never get one. Ha, ha, ha."  
  
Farris dashed to the side of his limp friend, and held it's small head in his hands, "Furrimon, are you alright!"  
  
Furrimon's black eyes slowly opened, "What did I tell ya, no chance at all."  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"Owwwwww..." Furrimon whined.  
  
Triceramon continued to laugh, but soon became serious. He turned to the spectators, the Gazimon, Gotsumon, and Gizamon jumped at his gaze. He frowned and spit a monstrous luggie on the ground. He hoisted the sack of corn over his back  
  
"NOW! Because of this little disturbance in working. I'm gonna need a rise in productivity. Each time I come her I want TWICE AS MUCH CORN!"  
  
The congregation of Rookies gasped. A brave Gotsumon opened his mouth to say something.  
  
"But... but sir, that's all our corn..."  
  
Triceramon frowned and raised the fingers on his hand to count them, "Uh... let's see. One half... times 2... uh, ah..." He mumbled.  
  
Farris frowned and murmur to himself, "Dumb ass..."  
  
"Oh yes, " Triceramon raised his voice again, "So it is... SO WHAT!"  
  
The Gotsumon became too frightened and back down, a Gizamon took his place, "But if you take everything what will we have to eat. We'll all die of hungry."  
  
Triceramon stroked his chin, "Hmm..." he murmured, "If they all die then where will I get my weekly corn..."  
  
Furrimon mumbled under his quiet moans of pain, "Dumb ass..."  
  
"Ok, I've decided. Every time I come here you will give me one half, then a half a half more. Got it?"  
  
The villagers looked at each other confused.  
  
"Three-fourths?"  
  
"YES, THREE-FOURTHS. NOW GET OUT OF MY FACE YOU SCRUBS!!!" Triceramon made a stomping fit, that scared everyone of the small Rookies away. He chuckled, and began to walk off in the direction of a set of mountains.  
  
Farris turned back to Furrimon who had stopped whining and was pulling himself up, "If you're hurt you should rest."  
  
"Naw, I'm cool. Boy, though, that guy's not running on all cylinders is he."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Are you ok, Farris."  
  
"No..."  
  
"Well..." Furrimon stopped mid sentence, as the villagers began to gravitate towards them. "Ut oh."  
  
Gazimon, Gotsumon, and Gizamon stalked toward the purple-haired human and his downed digital partner, angry scowls on their faces.  
  
Farris averted his eyes, shamefully, back to his hurt Digimon.  
  
An angry Gazimon growled at him, "Thank you so much, now we have more work to do,"  
  
Farris looked back down, "Sorry..."  
  
An enraged Gizamon stared at him, "What's wrong with you?! You didn't think you could stop an ultimate did you?!"  
  
"I just wanted to help..."  
  
"Help?!" A Gotsumon yelled, "You call that help. You've got a pretty misconscrewed idea of help. You can't just go running head long into stuff like that, you'll get you and everyone around you killed!"  
  
All Farris could do was stare at the dusty ground, "I didn't think."  
  
"That's an understatement." A Gazimon grumbled, "Let's go guys, we have work to do. Don't plan to stay in town too much longer unless you plan to help us harvest."  
  
The collection of Digimon turned a fled slowly, letting the pain of their words hit Farris hard with every step they took. They moved out of the town, off to the fields somewhere to return to their slavery. Farris sat on his legs, feeling weak, he kept up on one arm, the other he rubbed his face, a quirk of his when he felt sad and regretful.  
  
Furrimon was able to get to his feet finally, and even though he was obviously in a lot of pain, he made the best compassionate look he could as he moved to comfort Farris.  
  
"Look, Farris man, it's..."  
  
"Furrimon, I'm so sorry." Farris suddenly interrupted.  
  
"Yeah, I know, man..."  
  
"No, I'm sorry for betraying you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I wasn't myself, I was being more like Julian, because I admire his courage, but... you now that's not how I operate, and... I failed..."  
  
Furrimon smiled showing sharp teeth, "Don't worry 'bout it. Would do you say we go look for that crest, huh?"  
  
Farris looked at the well only a few yards away from him, built up to waist level with dark brown stones, a little bucket and rope sat beside it. As he watched it shimmer in the hot air, he thought about the redeeming qualities of finding his crest as soon as possible.  
  
"Let's go." 


	8. Gina's Game Pt 1

The first new one, it's good to be back…

Chapter Eight – Gina's Game  
  
Gina delighted in the cool air that rushed passed her face, whipping around her body, encasing her in a refreshing shell. It brought back good memories, of her grandmother's ranch outside of Charlotte, riding her favorite pony, Goldenrod. Gina had always loved riding for hours because it gave her a rush and a sense of exhilaration.  
  
However, this was nothing like riding a horse through the country side, currently she was perched on the back of a large dragon that sailed in the heavy wind currents above an expansive blue ocean. If you had told her only a few years ago what she would be doing today, she would have probably smacked you in the face for talking crazy.  
  
Indeed, she was a very different girl only a few years ago.  
  
"Gina," Airdramon groaned from his massive mouth, "If I'm going too fast just tell me."  
  
Gina giggled, "That's very considerate of you, but you can actually go a little faster." She yelled down to him.  
  
"Will do!" He yelled as he redoubled his speed.  
  
Indeed, before she got her Digimon she'd been a very different person. Growing up in Charlotte, North Carolina, she was nothing like the stereotype of the sweet southern girl. She was picky and fussy, often called a snob and a bitch, she would rebel for the stupidest of causes and hold practically everything against everybody, nothing back then was her fault it seemed, even though plenty happened around her. It was a low point in her history.  
  
Then one day, as she was, grudgingly pruning the hedges in her front back yard she nearly clipped the limbs off of a Cherrymon, who was very much angered by it. Frighten nearly to tears, she had fled into her house, and when she had returned with her reluctant big brother and a chainsaw, the creature was gone. Not long after a Digiegg came to her from out of an e-mail.  
  
From then on her life was different. Through her interaction with the little Digimon that appeared from it, caring for it and addressing it's needs, she began to change.  
  
With in a short time, she had done a complete 180. She was now a caring and friendly girl, easy to talk to, and great at giving advise. Her new attitude permeated the hard hearts of those that she had once alienated, and became a guide and leader of sorts. She was the president of her class, a star pupil, befriended by the girls and chased after by the boys. Her whole life was better thanks to the little creature who had only ever known her as a kind friend.  
  
Gifted in looks and brains, the world was now her oyster, but some one was now trying to steal the pearl it contained. A malevolent evil was hunting her down, so her perfect world of her on make had to be put on hold, as she traveled the Digital World in hopes of finding a way to fight back. Her only hope was that her skills and abilities would come in handy in upcoming battles.  
  
Gina came out of her trance as she felt, the massive digimon beneath her slowed it's speed, "Airdramon, what's wrong?"  
  
"Up ahead." Airdramon nudged.  
  
Looking up ahead, Gina sighted it, protruding out of the water like a tiny artificial island. It appeared to be an oil platform, quipped with massive observation towers, oil containers, drills of all sizes, and cranes galore.  
  
"I have a feeling..." Airdramon mused.  
  
Removing the crest from around her neck she held it up. It whipped about in the heavy winds, but soon it's mysterious powers stilled it, making it like a stiff board. The empty frame glowed it's unusual purple hue, put suddenly, like a slow reacting flash light, a purple beam of light burst off of the empty plate and shot straight toward the platform, pointing to some unidentified area.  
  
"Thank the lord." Airdramon exclaimed, I was worried it was going to be in the water, and you know how I hate water."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Take 'er down, Airdramon."  
  
Airdramon made a rapid decent and swooped in over the platform. Now Gina could see creatures scurrying about the deck, completing various tasks aboard the platform. With the first fly by that Airdramon did, they seemed surprised and ran about in general chaos, except for one imposing figure who stood on the deck with bright red skin, an enormous cruel mouth, and wild gray hair. One Airdramon's second fly-by, it was a Fugamon, who didn't look happy as he followed them with his eyes.  
  
The Fugamon finally lifted one giant clawed hand, and brandished one menacing finger at them, "HEY!!! The is a no-fly zone, get down here right now!"  
  
"You little punk, we don't work for you!" Airdramon growled down at him.  
  
Gina patted Airdramon on the back of his head to calm him down, "We should do as he asks, we may need him to help us find the crest.  
  
Airdramon mumbled a garbled agreement and sunk to the deck.  
  
Gina quickly leaped off and patted down her sleek black hair and put her red coat back on, making herself as presentable as possible.  
  
Airdramon coiled up next to here glaring at Fugamon warily, remaining in Champion form, probably encase Fugamon proved to be less then friendly.  
  
Fugamon folded his arms as he stared fearlessly at Airdramon.  
  
Gina smiled up at him, "Excuse me Mr. Fugamon..."  
  
"My position is Foreman on this rig and you will address me as so." Fugamon chastised rudely as he continued to stare Airdramon down.  
  
Gina padded Airdramon again, "Foreman Fugamon, me and my companion here are on a quest. We're look for a collection of symbols that may seem strange and unexplained, aboard this rig maybe?"  
  
Fugamon's eyes shifted toward the young girl, "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Then maybe you can let us look around for a bit."  
  
"Nobody goes anywhere or does anything on this rig unless they work here." He groaned.  
  
Airdramon flashed his teeth, "Why do you make a little exception for us, huh?" He said as malevolently as possible.  
  
Fugamon looked extremely offended by this statement and growled devilishly at Airdramon, "I don't make exceptions here, not for you, not for anyone!"  
  
"Then, can we have a job." Gina interjected.  
  
Both Digimon looked at her in disbelief, Gina just smiled. If this was the path that had to be taken to save the world, then she would do it gladly.  
  
Fugamon groaned, "You think you're up to the job, little lady."  
  
"I can take whatever you can dish out." Gina said smirking.  
  
By now most of the workers had quietly gathered around the trio, all were of the Numemon and Sukamon persuasion, looking intently with their big eyes. In the brief silence that followed Gina's boast, Fugamon finally noticed that all his laborers had stopped working.  
  
Growling like a monster, he turned around to face them, "GET BACK TO WORK!! THIS IS DINNER THEATER, YOU USELESS PILES OF POOP!!"  
  
The Numemon, scared out of their minds, screamed in unison, scattering quickly and returning to their assigned tasks. The Sukamon, freaked out more by the frantic Numemon then by Fugamon, did likewise.  
  
In that time, Airdramon leaned in close to Gina, "Are you sure this is the best idea, I don't entirely trust this guy."  
  
"Trust me, I think this is the best way."  
  
Thoroughly enthused now, Fugamon turned to the pair, "Alright, if you want a job with me, there are two things you gotta do!"  
  
"Name 'em." Gina smirked.  
  
"First, you gotta be willing to work."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Second, to prevent against you deserting on the job, I need some form of collateral to make sure you don't leave before your work is done."  
  
Gina was a bit taken aback by that one, "What do you want?"  
  
A conspicuous smile slide across his massive maw. He lifted one finger and pointed to her chest, "That trinket right there will do just fine."  
  
Looking down, Gina realize, as well as Airdramon, that he was referring to tag. Before Gina could stop him, Airdramon, roared fiercely at Fugamon.  
  
"NO ONE GETS OUR TAG! NO ONE!" He bellowed.  
  
"Fine, then no job, and you can take your leave of my rig right now."  
  
Knowing she had to do it, Gina removed the tag and walked up to Fugamon.  
  
"Gina, no..." Airdramon pleaded behind her.  
  
"It has to be done, Airdramon." She said as she placed the tag in Fugamon's giant outstretched hand.  
  
"Very nice..." Fugamon moaned as he examined the tag in his palm. Closing his hand tightly, he looked up at Gina, "Time to prove your worth..."  
  
Looking up he searched the area for something, stopping on that something, he lifted his other hand and point in that direction, "You three, stop what you're doing.  
  
Gina turned to see what he was referring to, over near what looked like a massive silo, a trio of Numemon were struggling to lift a massive black tube, and connect it with the proper port in the side of the silo. Upon being order by Fugamon, the group dropped the tube with a thud and backed off.  
  
Turning back to Fugamon, Gina found him smiling at her, "You're first job, is to attach that hose to that valve."  
  
Airdramon growled, "She can't do that! Don't ask her to!"  
  
"No." Gina said, smirking once again and removing her fine red leather jacket, "I can do this."  
  
The gathering crowd watched her as she moved toward the tube. Putting her arms around it, she could barely reach her hands on the other side, but she tried to lift it anyway, it was only short distance. The pipe was covered in grease and was slippery to the touch and had the thick stench of oil. Her first attempt to lift it met with failure, it being perhaps, more then she could lift. The second attempt came close, as she nearly had the tube flush with the hole when her arms gave out.  
  
A disappointed groan went through the crowd of Numemon and Sukamon, who could obviously feel her pain. Fugamon just stared at her intently.  
  
"Gina, let me help." Airdramon offered.  
  
Gina put up a hand, stopping him, "No, I got this."  
  
Her one pristine white V-neck shirt was now thick with brown sludge, and her hands and arms were covered in the slimy substance as well. She reached all the way around the pipe and lifted with all her might. She let out a strained groan to accentuate her struggle. Sure enough though, it paid off and she was able to put the tube into place, sliding it deep with the valve.  
  
The crowd cheered as she did, but she soon silenced them with her very focused grimace.  
  
"Wrench!" She called.  
  
A Sukamon carrying a large wrench in it's stumpy, gelatinous hands came forward and handed it to Gina. Taking the big thing, she tightened the three bolts that ringed the valve so that the tube would stay in place.  
  
A second cheer resounded from the Numemon as she finished the job and that cute, girlish smile returned to her face as she wiped the sweat off her brow with her arm.  
  
Airdramon chuckled quietly to himself as he watched her smear the strange liquid on her forehead.  
  
Fugamon simple nodded, then pointed at the three Numemon who had been working the pipe before, "Since you three got off so easy, go man that pump, and the rest of you, I thought I told you to get back to work!"  
  
With a similar response to the last time they were yelled at, the Numemon scurried off to do their duties.  
  
Looking back toward Gina, the Fugamon pointed to a set of Numemon who were vigorously cleaning several large drill tips, "Go help them clean those, make sure they shine."  
  
Gina nodded and went to work.  
  
Gina heard Fugamon speak to Airdramon as she walked to her task, "She's certainly got spirit, it's going to be a pleasure having her work for me."  
  
"Just remember, we're on a quest here, and if you interfere any further, it'll be the last mistake you ever make."  
  
Gina smiled, Airdramon had taught her the error of her ways long ago, but she had also taught him some of the ways of error. This was going to be a difficult test for both of them. 


	9. Catherine’s Conundrum Pt 1

Chapter Nine – Catherine's Conundrum  
  
Catherine wiped her forehead with her sleeve and let out an exasperated groan that was more akin to one that bear would make, "It's too haaaaawwwwt..."  
  
Walking beside her, Floramon smile as she looked up into Catherine's face, "I quite like it actually."  
  
Catherine shot her a mean look and pouted her lips in frustration, "That's because you're plant."  
  
Floramon chuckled and threw her hands behind her head, "Cie la vie, non!"  
  
Catherine turned away to observe her surroundings. For way too long, the tag had lead them deeper and deeper into this prehistoric jungle. The place thrived with massive palms and thick ferns that stretched lengths above her head till all she could see of the sky was a light blue slit. Wild red orchids and tangling vines littered the area like ornaments on a Christmas tree. The sounds of the forest were abound; a constant buzzing far off, a low sizzling sound, hoots and hollers from far off Digimon, it was a regular cacophony of sound that could be heard, but had no particular will to be seen.  
  
It all might have been very nice, if it weren't for the damned heat. You could practically see the heat rising off of the plants and sweat dripping off of them. Catherine herself was also sweating it all the most uncomfortable areas, causing her to ruin her designer blouse and skirt, making her itch like crazy. There were far too many bushes as well, every time she passed through them her skirt or socks would get caught, and when she finally wrested them free, they would be covered in burs. This crest had better be worth it.  
  
"Well I'm just not used to this weather, Floramon. This is worse then Malta in the middle of July."  
  
Floramon nodded, "Ah yes, Malta, very muggy as I recall."  
  
Catherine sunk in her place, letting her humidity frazzled blonde hair fall in front of her sweat greased face, "Remember those days, Floramon, when we were refined; school days at the town house in Paris, summers at the villa outside Orleans, trips to Monaco and Milan for shopping, trips to Switzerland for skiing, the beaches at Corsica and Nice for spring break, and that one lovely trip to Martinique."  
  
"We're still refined, Catherine." Floramon interjected.  
  
Catherine groaned, "No, we're not. We're refuges, trudging through the jungle..."  
  
Floramon sighed, obviously feeling sorry for Catherine, "Let's check the tag, alright Catherine."  
  
Apathetically, Catherine took the necklace from around her neck and let it dangle in the air. As it steadied itself by mystical means, the yellow glow it radiated changed. The glow began to center and then burst out in a continuous stream of golden light. The light permeated the shade of the jungle and traveled through it like a laser pointer.  
  
Catherine and Floramon both jumped in surprised as they eyes moved back and forth from the glowing tag and the destination of the light beam."  
  
"Fl...Floramon..." Catherine managed.  
  
"It must be the crest!" Floramon exclaimed excitedly.  
  
A smile lit up Catherine's face, "Finally! Let's go!"  
  
She broke into a dead run through the foliage, not caring for the bushes or her skirt anymore. She leaped over fallen branches and puddles with grave and skill as she made her mad dash through the roughage to get her crest. Soon enough she was able to spy a clearing through the trees, the beam shot right through the dangling vines and touched a spot on that ground. Her crest must be hidden in that patch of grass.  
  
"Floramon..." She managed, though out of breath, "I see a clearing..."  
  
Practically leaping through the tree line and into the caring, and at the same moment the tag blinked out, the light dissipated and was gone. Catherine stood there for a moment, shaking the tag, but it offered nothing, as if it had turned into a regular old necklace.  
  
Floramon came running out from the forest soon enough, "Did you get it? Where is it?"  
  
"Um..." Catherine wasn't sure what to say.  
  
She leaned down to the exact spot she thought she remembered the beam hitting. She brushed at the yellowish grass, but nothing appeared to her.  
  
"It just... stopped working..." Catherine mumbled.  
  
Looking up she surveyed the area. The clearing was a circular mound of overgrown grasses witch differed in green and yellow hues.  
  
"What do you mean, stopped working?!" Floramon asked indignantly.  
  
"I don't know, I don't know, it won't glow anymore!" Catherine franticly explained, getting more frustrated as she did, "Look around the area!"  
  
Like they were looking for the cure to cancer, they went over the thicket. Floramon got down on her hands and knees and searched the grass. Catharine ran from one edge of the clearing to the other, head darting about like a ping-pong ball. Finally, Catherine collapsed to her knees and fought to hold back tears.  
  
"We were so close, what went wrong..." She whimpered as she looked at the lifeless tag, "Can this get any worse?"  
  
As if to answer her rhetorical question with a resounding "yes," an intense rustling could be heard from the edge of the tree line, as if a weed whacker was going crazy. Soon several yellowish balls burst from the foliage like rapid soccer balls, snarling and pulsating as the bounced into the clear. A little ways in, the ten or so balls stopped and place, and unfurled to reveal that they were in fact Tapirmon, all with angry faces.  
  
Catherine quickly rose to her feet, and Floramon ran to where she stood.  
  
The lead Tapirmon shuffled forward and brandished a goofy paw accusingly at them, "Infidels! You have defiled the Sacred Thicket!"  
  
"Floramon, what are they talking about?" Catherine queried.  
  
"They're fanatics." Floramon growled.  
  
The Tapirmon continued, "The penalty for this trespass of our holy landmark, IS YOUR SACRIFICIAL DELETION!"  
  
"Over my slim, well-toned dead body!" Floramon screamed.  
  
"I think that's their idea, Floramon..." Catherine whispered.  
  
It seemed as if Floramon ignored her, because she went right on being enraged, "Stamen Rope!"  
  
Accordingly, from the inner recesses of Floramon's cup shaped hand appeared a long brown tendril that grew and grew, even as Floramon hauled that arm back. She then shot it forward like a roundhouse, the long rope swung out with it. Carrying more strength then anyone would have thought possible, the whip smacked into the right most Tapirmon and sent it careening into it's fellows with unseen force. The rope continued slicing through the group, scattering every single one of the Tapirmon like bowling pins. When all the digimon were laid out on the ground and groaning from the pain, Floramon finally retracted the rope into her hand.  
  
"Wow, Floramon, that was amazing!" Catherine cheered.  
  
"These guys take 'Rookie' to an all new low." Floramon jeered with a smirk on her face.  
  
Still reeling from the pain, the Tapirmon somehow managed to get up. Looking at each in disbelief, in complete unison they all started to bellow the rapid weed whacker song again. Lifting their weedy snouts to the sky and releasing their anguished, ravenous cry.  
  
Catherine immediately put her hands over her ears, shielding them from the terrible sound, "What are they doing now?!"  
  
Floramon did likewise, covering whatever was here equivalent of plant ears, "I... I don't know!"  
  
They received their answer soon enough as deep boom could be heard from the jungle, accompanied by the sound of crunching and snapping trees. The boom was follow by another, louder this time, and closer. Something very big was heading there way.  
  
Worry about her ears had dissipated, and now worry for her personal safety surged as Catherine chewed on her pointer fingers nail, "Wh... what's that?"  
  
"Why do you ask me so many questions?! I don't know!" Floramon whined back, obviously she was just as scared as Catherine, as she grabbed onto Catherine's skirt like a frightened toddler does his mommy's.  
  
With each massive step the pair heard, their fear grew. Until finally the creature appeared, using enormous arms to part the tallest trees in it's way. It bent down between them and peered into the clearing, glaring at them warily with button eyes.  
  
"A giant teddy bear!" Catherine pointed and screamed.  
  
"That's one stuffed animal you don't want in your collection, trust me! That's Waru Monzemon!" Floramon screamed.  
  
The monstrous black toy bear with all manner of scars sewn up with shoe strings, and a massive metal prosthetic claw. peered down at them, a patch work frown on his face.  
  
The Tapirmon stopped their hideous calls and turned their faces toward Waru Monzemon. The lead Tapirmon lifted his paws up to the monstrous Digimon in supplication.  
  
"Great digital god, these trespassers have defiled your Sacred Thicket! We asked that you deliver unto them you swift and infallible justice!" It invoked.  
  
Waru Monzemon looked the whole pack over then turned back to Catherine and Floramon, then grumbled in it's low, ominous voice, "My judgment, is death to the infidels!"  
  
With that, Waru Monzemon threw his stubby arms apart, snapping each of the trees in his way and crashed into the clearing, scattering squealing Tapirmon in his wake.  
  
Catherine gasped in fear, "Floramon, what do we..."  
  
"Run, that's what!" Floramon answer before Catherine had even finished her question.  
  
The two made and abrupt about face and bolted as fast as their legs could carry them in whichever direction was farthest from the giant evil teddy bear. Leaping and darting through bushes and around trees, all in perfect strides, was, however, not enough, as Waru Monzemon just smashed and crushed the jungle in his way. No matter how much they increased their speed, his creepy evil face could always be seen through the canopy behind them.  
  
Running head long, Catherine noticed a second clearing as well as what appeared to be a massive stone pyramid. It was a long shot, but maybe it would work.  
  
"Floramon, this way!" Catherine yelled grabbing Floramon's arm and pulling her into the clearing.  
  
"What are we... holy Jesus!" Floramon blurted as they entered the clearing and observed the pyramid.  
  
It was massive, several times large then Waru Monzemon, which was a good thing. Built with smooth yellow stones, it went up at a relatively steep slope, until each of the four sides united at a small platform with a four pillared portico above it.  
  
"Come on," Catherine yelled as she moved to the side of the pyramid and began to scale it, "We've got to get up there!"  
  
"I've got a better idea!" Floramon said. "Stamen Rope!"  
  
A brown vine slipped around Catherine's waist, surprising her, it lifted her up and off the stone edifice.  
  
"Stamen Rope!" Floramon repeated.  
  
Catherine watched as Floramon hurled the vine from her other hand toward the platform on top. The vine went sailing and succeeded in catching one of the pillars at the top. Floramon then, holding the rope tight, backed up, stretching the vine to it's near breaking point. Then, Floramon let go of her footing.  
  
Floramon went rocketing into the air with Catherine in tow. The last thing Catherine saw before the constantly tumbling sky and ground, was Waru Monzemon crushing through the last of the trees between it and them.  
  
With screams of sickness, Catherine flew after Floramon, and crashed head first into the hard stone of the side of pyramid. Catherine felt her strength leave her as she began to roll, but the strong grasp of Floramon's rope held her fast, and lifted her up onto the platform.  
  
Regaining her balance, Catherine looked up, then back down, as the world hadn't stopped spinning yet, "Don't do that... anymore..." She grumbled.  
  
"I'm sorry, Catherine, but it got us up here quicker." Floramon said as she retracted her ropes and helped Catherine to a sitting position. "Which brings up, why exactly did we come up here?"  
  
"To get away from Waru Monzemon."  
  
"How, he's right there, he can come get us."  
  
"Well, I figured if he was to do that he would have to climb, and I didn't think he could climb very well because, I mean, he doesn't have any hands, just those fluffy stumps." Catherine said as she pressed her hand to her head, checking for blood.  
  
"YOU HEATHENS!" Waru Monzemon groaned at the base of the Pyramid. "You have sullied my great temple, now there will be no forgiveness, only painful death!"  
  
As could be expected by his tone, he began to climb the side of the temple. As Catherine had predicted, he couldn't do very well, he could barely grasp the smooth surface, and the edges were too far about to grab. However, he was still steadily coming up the side, and would be at the top all too soon.  
  
"Were we going to get forgiveness before. It sure didn't seem like it..." Catherine joked as she stuck a finger in her mouth to check if a particular tooth was loose, then finding the finger particularly nasty tasting, she abandoned her fact finding mission.  
  
"This isn't going to work," Floramon said, standing at the side of the portico, "He'll be up here in... oh my gawd! Catherine look!"  
  
Surprised by her partner's enthusiasm, she rose to her feet and moved to the edge, "What, I don't see anything?"  
  
Floramon lifted a finger and pointed franticly, "Right there, right there, in the other clearing!"  
  
"Floramon I still don't... oh my!"  
  
She finally saw it as she looked toward the other clearing. What she had thought was a simple field of green and yellow grass was so much more, and she could only see it now from her vantage point far above it. What had first appeared to her as random patches of yellow grass among green grass was actually an intricate symbol; a large yellow circle with a smaller yellow circle within it and a line going through it from left to right. It was painfully obvious from up high.  
  
Catherine looked at the tag she still had pressed tightly within the palm of her hand. Lifting it high above her head, she saw that the golden glow had returned, and sure enough the golden beam shot out and landed right in the middle of the design in the grass.  
  
"Fancy laser beams will not save you. Hope is a luxury of the faithful, and strength a privilege of the righteous. Your destiny looms ominous like Armageddon!" Waru Monzemon bellowed, but the pair were too transfixed to pay attention.  
  
"The whole clearing was the crest!" Floramon exclaimed.  
  
"Sacre blu! it was there all the time! I completely missed it! I'm so sorry Floramon! I'm such a ditz!" Catherine yelled angrily.  
  
"It's not your fault, Catherine, I missed it too."  
  
"Well, you're a ditz too."  
  
"This is no time for jokes, Catherine!"  
  
"Whose joking, you are a ditz."  
  
"Fine, whatever, but our objective is clear now! If we're going to get out of this jungle alive, we need to get back to the clearing, and quick!" 


	10. Julian's Juxtaposition Pt 1

Chapter Ten – Julian's Juxtaposition  
  
It stomped slowly and menacingly, like it knew just how it step to frighten it's prey. It couldn't find them, but it could still intimidate them. It sniffed the air trying to find their scent, when it finished it made no movement and no expression, not letting on whether it knew or not.  
  
Massive jaw lined with teeth and dripping with saliva, it's massive ebony talons glinted in the fading sunlight, and it's massive tusks mounted on it's back loomed ominous like two air bombers. The Tuskmon was an imposing sighted.  
  
It occupied the middle of the cracked and fractured street in front of the store front. Quietly scanning the boulevard for it's quarry.  
  
Julian watched it quietly, daring not even to breath for fear of the monster hearing. He crouched behind the counter of what appeared to once have been a local, Mom-and-Pops restaurant, peering through the glass display case at the Tuskmon outside.  
  
This was straight out of Jurassic Park. Julian couldn't believe the whirlwind his life had taken in the past few years. Julian was a simple Puerto Rican kid from the most cluttered and sedentary city on the island's western coast, he didn't even think he would go to college, and now he was trying to save the world, being hunted by a giant dinosaur. He'd always believed his whole life he would live in Mayaguez, get married young, work at his family's school supply store and even take it over when his father retired, have lots of kids, and then when he retired he would sit in the park and play dominoes with the rest of the old folks, and he was happy to live that out.  
  
Then Simianmon came into his life and all that changed. Julian had never taken risks, he never saw the point, and never attempted much, but it was through his association with Simianmon that his horizons expanded and he became the confident fighter he was today. It was this new self that could save the world, protect all his friends, and get the love of a rich white girl.  
  
Julian turned to his partner, now transformed into Apemon, who was crouched as well behind the counter, eyeing the giant lizard warily.  
  
"Psst, Apemon..." Julian called as quiet as he could, "Are you ready?"  
  
Julian saw a smile curl onto Apemon's face, but he kept his eyes glued to to the Tuskmon, "No problem."  
  
Julian smiled back, "Then go for it."  
  
With that, Apemon rose it is full, impressive stature, with wild yellow fur, gold rings, and large femur strapped to his back. Gripping the opposite side of the counter and leaped over it, as he did, Julian could start to see the energy start to gather in his muscles for what Apemon needed to do. Landing on the other side of the counter Apemon's face and mane was already glowing a distinct silver.  
  
"Metallic Fur!" Apemon yelled as the energy released itself from it's anchor on Apemon.  
  
The brilliant blast burst forth and crashed through the restaurant's plate glass window. Instead of melting a hole through it like other energy blasts would do, it revealed it's special properties for metal and shattered it into several million pieces. It continued on undaunted and bared down on the Tuskmon.  
  
The Tuskmon saw it too late, and resounded a resounding smack as the energy splattered across it's face. In only a few moments the predators eyes it had possessed turned to vacant punched-out lights, as it sailed to the side.  
  
Apemon capitalized, leaping forward and through the broken window, and with one fluid motion, pulled the bone from it's back, readied it, swung, and announced his killing stroke.  
  
"Mega Bone Stick!" Apemon bellowed.  
  
The stiff apparatus collided with the Tuskmon's jaw, KOing it instantly. The defeated dinosaur hauled back from the blow and flew into the building opposite the one Julian was in. It crumbled into it with a thud and a crash as it both shook it's foundation, sending up a cloud of dust and loosed a few bricks, as well as shattered that building's own plate glass window. Unconscious, it sprawled across the wreckage as gravity would allow, and stayed there.  
  
Raising from his vantage point, Julian leaped over the counter and out the window onto the street while Apemon observed his defeated opponent, bone still in hand.  
  
"Nice work, Apemon." Julian said walking up decide him.  
  
"How many more Digimon am I going to have to clobber?" Apemon asked to no one in particular, however, it was not a rhetorical question, and the hint in his voice that he really wanted to know was what made Julian worried.  
  
"We're almost there, Apemon, I can feel it." Julian offered.  
  
Julian pulled the tag from off her neck and held it in the air. The little silver glow that had been growing every since they started this quest, animated the yellow tag and slowly righted itself in the right direction. Julian pointed that way.  
  
"See it's just down the street." Julian smiled.  
  
Apemon frowned as he slipped the bone back onto his back, "That's what you said the last 3 streets, it's obviously passed her some where. What we need is to go higher. Here..."  
  
With that, Julian felt Apemon's massive arm wrap around him and lifted him into the air. Crouching briefly Apemon sailed into the air, leaving Julian breathless. As they had cleared the tallest buildings on the street and started to come down again, Julian was able to catch his breath.  
  
"Weeeeeeeeeee!" He yelled, smiling and vibing from the adrenaline rush.  
  
Landing on the top of the nearest building, Apemon released Julian so the pair could survey their surroundings.  
  
Looking across the city, how the city fell so far crossed Julian's mind, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to know. Before him were the ruins of a once great city. Where it once must have been the center of civilization now it was a blasted landscape of crushed buildings and broken dreams. There were many parts of the city that were just big creators, around that the buildings were massive piles of rubble. The area where Julian and Apemon were now, was spared apparently, so the buildings were just deserted and falling apart from neglect, no less sadder then everything else that was going on in the city. A massive cloud of dust seemed to be omnipresent, distorting the rays of the sun, as well as making it a little difficult to breath. The normal noises of big cities were absent as were the normal people that had once lived there, replace by the monstrous an frightening sound of the city's new abnormal residents.  
  
The city, which was more akin to an urban battleground now, was in the grips of a Digimon war. On side were the dinosaur digimon, on the other, the bug digimon, and each fiercely struck at the other to other to gain position. The battles that erupted between the two forces were tearing what was left of the city to pieces as their tried to win what was left. Neither was ahead, everyone just seemed to lose more and more. No side, however, was particular happy to have a monkey and an Apemon in their city anyway.  
  
Even now, from his vantage point, Julian could see a fierce struggle only a mile or so away. It took place on what most have once been a part, but was now a giant dirt hill. Atop the hill, a Dark Tyrannomon, a Tyrannomon, and two Monocromon, with their maws to the sky, were releasing wave after wave a destructive fire bombs. They were trying frantically to take down the Snimon, two Kuwagamon, and 3 Flymon that circled over head, darting and waving down behind buildings, adeptly avoiding the fiery death. It was like a screen saver that played the same thing over and over again, no one was winning, just avoiding or firing again and again. Just like the war.  
  
"Whoa, what do you make of that, Julian?" Julian heard his partner say.  
  
Julian turned his head leisurely to see what Apemon was referring too, but as soon as he saw his eyes went wide with no leisure involved.  
  
Several blocks away, was the one and only Eiffel tower, raising from the still constructed part of town. That wasn't what was the most drawing thing about it, perched atop it was the massive grey ultimate Digimon known as Okuwamon, no doubt the leader of the city's but Digimon as he was no doubt the strongest bug for miles around. It had used pieces of building and road and construct an amble nest atop the French landmark. The monstrous bug surveyed it's city like a king.  
  
"An Okuwamon and the Eiffel Tower, where have I heard that one before..." Julian mused, stroking his chin.  
  
"I suggest we stay as far away from that area as possible." Apemon said, turning back to Julian.  
  
"I agree. Now, lemme just check the tag, and..."  
  
Lifting the tag up in the air, Julian let it dangle. However, this time as the silver glow returned, it burst forth as a solid pencil-width beam, that lanced out through the soot in the air and stabbed right in the middle of Okuwamon's monumental nest, the Eiffel Tower observation deck.  
  
"Porqueria..." Apemon swore quietly.  
  
"Ay diooooo..." Julian whined just like his sisters used to, "Can't we ever get a break?!"  
  
Apemon shaked his head, "Well, if that's to be our path, let's take it."  
  
Apemon grabbed Julian around the waist again, and leaped into the air. His leap took him clear across the street and onto the other building. Another jump took it to another building, ever closer to the Eiffel Tower.  
  
As Apemon and Julian's game of leap frog took them on their way, a pair of Flymon appeared from below the skyline and picked them up on their biological radar, veering in for the kill.  
  
Sighting them Apemon groaned, "Watch out Julian. Metallic Fur! Metallic Fur!"  
  
Even as Apemon was jumping, he was able to conjure up the energy to fire the two successive blasts. The silver globulars of energy zeroed in on their targets and hit true. As each of the Flymon zoomed into their respective blasts, both their momentums abruptly stopped, as if the energy that splashed against them and disappeared were in fact a pair of brick walls. Broken and hurt the Flymon fell from the sky and descended below the buildings. Julian didn't get a chance to see them hit because, Apemon rushed by to quick, not even waiting for confirmation, just wanting to get there as quick as possible.  
  
Continuing on, it wasn't long before another of the Okuwamon's minions entered the fray. Right as Apemon was about to leap to his next building, an enraged Snimon, soared up from the gap and barreled toward them.  
  
Quickly Julian let go of Julian. Hitting the roof rather abruptly, Julian knew, however, it quickly find cover, which he found behind a roof entrance to the stairs.  
  
"Double Scissor Claw!" The Snimon snarled.  
  
The Snimon revealed it's massive scythes and arranged them into and X with the goal to slice Apemon into 4 separate pieces. Only in the nick of time did Apemon pull out his bone stick out and was able to block by holding it as a bow. However, the blow was more then cutting potential, Snimon had also thrown all of it's weight behind it, so the giant bug pushed right on through to attack Apemon. Apemon held his ground, and for it he was sent along in front of Snimon, sliding on his feet, a strained look on his face.  
  
Eventually, Snimon pushed Apemon across the whole building, so if Apemon didn't come up with anything quick he would be thrown off the edge.  
  
So just in the nick of time, as per his style, Apemon was able to leap right up at the edge. As Snimon's momentum would have taken him right past him as Apemon went up, he let that be his advantage. Apemon remained in the deadlock between his bone stick and Snimon's scythes, allowing him to use is own momentum to pivot up and around, and using agility and flexibility that only an ape digimon could possess, he bent his leg around and stomped Snimon on the face, hard!"  
  
At that point all grace and stability had been lost. Snimon lost the ability of flight in his daze, as well as direction, and tumbled forward toward the building across the way. Apemon, having put all his ability into one shot, now lost whatever foothold he hand and crumpled in the air as forces of gravity tore him at all sides.  
  
Snimon landed face first, smashing it yet again. He sailed and skidded forward a few feet before he landed in a heap. Apemon also landed on his face, however, he was able to absorbed the fall into a roll, so for a couple yards, the Digimon twisted and turned until he was able to stabilize himself onto his hands and knees.  
  
Shaking it off, Ape was able to get back to his feet first, right as Snimon was struggling to lift it's head off the ground. Reaching for his bone stick from where it had tumbled, Apemon slowly made his way to the downed Snimon.  
  
Hauling the bone back, he snarled at the creature, "When I put you down, bobo, ju stay down, comprende! Mega Bone Stick!"  
  
Swinging it down, he brought it mightily upon the back of the Snimon. Under the tremendous weight of the strike, Snimon sprawled out completely flat like a squashed bug. However, instead of squishing the Snimon, the roof cracked and shoke under the blow.  
  
Deeming the bug properly disposed off, he holstered the bone back across his back, and turned to where Julian was peeking his head out. Breathing heavily, Apemon leaped back to Julian as he came running out from his shelter.  
  
"Apemon, damn, are you ok?"  
  
"Yeah... let's just hurry..."  
  
With that, he grabbed Julian once again and leaped into the sky. The Tower was now dangerously close now, but the Okuwamon didn't even look like it noticed, he seemed more interested in the battle in the other direction.  
  
One leap to go until the Tower, and Apemon and Julian found themselves at a perfect look out to survey the nest. Hiding being what was once a roof top garden where it's patrons hand hung potted plants, the pair over look the site.  
  
The Tower had a tiny field around it, mostly with trees thick enough to hide Apemon and Julian, but not a big enemy like a Snimon or a Kawagamon. From there is was a straight shot to the base of Tower. It seemed almost to good to be true.  
  
"Should I check the tag?" Julian asked.  
  
"No, the bugs might see it. We have to be sneaky from this point on." Apemon replied.  
  
Julian smiled, "Then I'm your man, sneaky's my segundo apellido. You don't worry your pretty little head and sit tight, comprendes?"  
  
Apemon made a sour face, "What are you saying, you want to go alone?"  
  
Julian made his smile more solemn, "Yes, actually, that's what I'm saying."  
  
Apemon chuckled uncomfortably, "You're kidding right, you can't go up there without me."  
  
"I was hoping I could tell you this in a funny way, but I guess it's not going to work. I don't want you going anywhere near that thing."  
  
"What?! What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I don't want you to come, because if there's a fight I know you'll sacrifice yourself to try to save me."  
  
Apemon's eyes grew big and he stuttered as he spoke, "But Julian.... I.... th-that's what I do! I'm your digimon."  
  
"Your more then that to me, mano, you're like a brother."  
  
"Julian, I... But we fight to protect people, that's just who we are." Apemon looked on the verge of tears of confusion and emotion. "Back in the park with She Leomon you weren't like this."  
  
Julian looked at the ground solemnly, "I was selfish, I used you and our relationship to help the others, and a big fat lot 'a good that did. I realized now, I can't ask you to do that for me anymore."  
  
"You don't have to ask, we're brothers!"  
  
Julian grit his teeth, "Apemon! Just understand, I won't bother you if it's a fight I know you can win, but you can't win against that thing, at least until I get that crest. So I don't want you following me up there, ok."  
  
"Julian, you may need me."  
  
Julian's carefree smile returned, "Oye Apemon, don't even worry, I'll sneak up there and get the crest before anyone one even knows I'm there. Just trust me, Apemon, Believe in me, ok."  
  
"Julian, I still don't think it's a good idea."  
  
Julian frowned, "Good or bad, it's the right idea for me and you, ok! Now promise me, you won't try to go up there."  
  
Apemon made an angry face, "No, I..."  
  
Julian leaped up and grabbed Apemon by the mane and pulled him close, "Promise me! Don't make me beg, mano!"  
  
Unable to resist, Apemon gave in, "Al... alright. Just be careful."  
  
Julian rose to his feet and made his way to the fire escape he'd seen when they landed, "You know me, Apemon... Nos vemos."  
  
Julian regretted having to be so forcefully with his partner, but he had to if he wanted to keep him safe. As much as Julian hated to admit it, he had been wrong, and She Leomon had been right. At Champion level they could never hope to do anything against a Mega, let alone the Ultimates. He didn't even know if the others in the real world or the digital world were alright, and that wrecked his mind. To think that he had gotten the others heart, because of his negligence, was really unthinkable.  
  
The only way now to make everything alright, was to only put himself in real danger, something of which he had absolutely no fear at all. He may well die today, but at least it would only be him. He hoped.  
  
------ 


End file.
